Seoul, July 1 (IANS) Hyundai Motor said on Wednesday its global sales declined from a year earlier in June, weighed down by weaker demand both at home and overseas.

South Korea’s largest automaker sold 338,313 vehicles worldwide in June, down 5.9 percent from the same month last year, reports Yonhap news agency.

Overseas sales fell 5.8 percent on-year to 280,081 units, while domestic sales declined 6.2 percent to 58,232 units.

In the first half of the year, Hyundai Motor sold 1.96 million vehicles globally, down 4.9 percent from a year earlier.

The company said sales are expected to gradually recover, supported by the launch of the facelifted Grandeur flagship sedan last month and the planned release of the redesigned Avante compact sedan in the second half of the year.

Kia said its global sales increased nearly 10 percent in June from a year earlier, driven by strong demand for its sport utility vehicles (SUVs).

The South Korean automaker sold 295,720 vehicles worldwide last month, up 9.5 percent from a year earlier.

The Sportage SUV remained the company’s best-selling model, with 54,058 units sold, followed by the Seltos SUV with 35,007 units and the K4 compact sedan with 22,373 units.

Overseas sales rose 7.6 percent on-year to 240,259 units in June, while domestic sales jumped 18.6 percent to 54,508 units.

For the first half of the year, Kia sold a record 1.63 million vehicles globally, marking its highest-ever first-half sales.

Meanwhile, Renault Korea Motors, the South Korean unit of France’s Renault S.A., said its June sales plunged from a year earlier due to weak demand in both the domestic and overseas markets.

The automaker sold 4,651 vehicles last month, down 45.7 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a release.

Domestic sales dropped 32.2 percent on-year to 3,400 units last month, while overseas sales tumbled 45.7 percent to 4,651 units.

Renault Korea’s cumulative sales in the first half of this year reached 33,384 units, down a sharp 29 percent from a year earlier.

Domestic sales fell 24.5 percent on-year to 21,187 units in the first six months of this year, while exports dived 35.7 percent to 12,197 units.

–IANS

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