Auto sales in South Korea rise 8.2% in Sept. on new model launches

Auto sales in South Korea rose last month due to new model launches by Kia Motors and Renault Samsung, industry data showed Wednesday.
Global car sales by five automakers, including Hyundai, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Samsung and Ssangyong, climbed 8.2 percent from a year earlier to 696,640 units in September.
Sales by top automaker Hyundai Motor increased 6.7 percent to 389,748 units, and its affiliate Kia Motors saw its car sales jump 19.7 percent to 231,902.
New models unveiled by Kia drew strong attraction, with pre- orders of new Carnival and new Sorento reaching 10,000 units and 8, 000 units, respectively, last month.
Renault Samsung's sales surged 47.1 percent to 16,484 units last month, marking the largest monthly sales since February 2012 due to demand for new SM7 and sales of QM3.
GM Korea, however, saw its sales plunge more than 20 percent in September, with those for Sssangyong Motor falling 0.8 percent to 10,345 units.
Auto sales in the domestic market climbed 9.5 percent from a year earlier to 110,660 units in September, and car exports by the five automakers increased 8 percent to 585,980 units.