기아, 8월에도 ‘가속 페달’…내수 시장서 현대차 눌러

Kia sold just 6,000 vehicles more than Hyundai in domestic sales for August, marking the second consecutive month the Korean automaker has surpassed its domestic rival. This continued ascent began in April, when Kia first overtook Hyundai in national auto sales. Kia's cumulative sales through August reached 390,000 units, indicating strong momentum.

Hyundai sold a total of 287,574 vehicles domestically and internationally in August, a 14.2% decrease year-over-year. International sales dropped by 8.5% to 25,424 units, while domestic sales declined by 41.1% to 3,433 units. The total cumulative sales for Hyundai were 217,6201 domestically (4.1% decrease) and 39,9159 internationally (15% decrease).

A Hyundai spokesperson said, "Production delays and delayed demand for new cars due to a strike in August impacted production." Kia, on the other hand, sold 26,6675 vehicles in August both domestically and internationally. International sales increased by 7.4% to 22,5413 units, while domestic sales dropped by 7.6% to 4,213 units.

However, Kia's cumulative sales increased, with 180,865 units sold internationally (3.7% growth) and 39,596 units domestically (7% growth). Kia's spokesperson explained, "Domestic market sales decreased due to fewer workdays caused by the summer holiday, but our overseas market strategy, based on regional demand for customized sales, continued its growth trend.

We will maintain this growth momentum with hybrid and electric vehicles in the second half of the year." Last month's best-selling vehicle was Hyundai's Grandeur, with 5,931 units sold, while Kia's Sorento was second with 6,397 units. Hyundai Motors' luxury brand Genesis sold 4545 units domestically. Meanwhile, General Motors sold 2,3042 vehicles domestically (2,2311 exported) and Kia Motors sold 6,860 (4,560 exported, 2300 domestic) units in August. Renault Korea sold 4,261 units (2,237 exported, 2024 domestic).