Korean Cars Sales Up..They Are Good' Cheap

Hyundai and Kia said their overall sales in September were higher, at between 11 and 12 percent year on year.

"It looks like even if U.S. consumers are going to tighten their grips on their wallets, they'll favour better-priced Hyundai and Kia cars," said Mark Barclay, an auto analyst at Samsung Securities.

"One concern is they're going to compete with more Japanese cars as they raise the number of luxury vehicles in the U.S.," Barclay said. "But with a weak won, they'll have more room to play in this area."

Troubled Daewoo Motors, the third ranked automaker in South Korea, said September exports dropped around 30 percent year on year to 31,284 units, but were up 18.8 percent compared to August.