S Korean Carmakers' July Sales Rise 26 Pct

SEOUL (Yonhap) . South Korean carmakers saw their sales rise 25.9 percent from a year earlier in July, helped by brisk exports, the country’s major auto manufacturers said yesterday.

Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and three other carmakers sold a combined 436,993 cars both in and outside South Korea last month.

Their combined exports rose 27.7 percent year-on-year in July to 335,043, while domestic sales increased 20.2 percent on-year to 101,950 in July.

Hyundai Motor, the nation’s largest carmaker, said its sales rose 11.4 percent from a year earlier to 207,995 units in July. Exports rose 9.2 percent from a year ago to 155,593 cars last month, and domestic sales grew 18.8 percent from the previous year to 52,402 units, the company said.

Kia Motors, South Korea’s second- largest automaker, said that its sales jumped 46.9 percent from a year earlier to 114,406 units last month.

Exports soared 53.6 percent year-on-year to 90,221 units, and domestic sales rose 26.5 percent to 24,185.

Three smaller automakers also reported brisk performance. GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the third-largest automobile manufacturer, sold 91,999 cars in July, up 37.7 percent from a year earlier.