Hyundai, Kia post record sales in Australia

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. saw their sales in Australia hit an all-time high in 2015 thanks to strong demand for their major models, industry data showed Friday.

Hyundai Motor, South Korea's leading carmaker, sold 102,004 units in Australia last year, while second-ranked Kia Motors sold 33,736 units during the same period, according to the data provided by Australia's Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Last year's sales marked the largest ever since the companies entered the Australian market.

Hyundai Motor saw its sales in Australia exceed 100,000 units for the second straight year in 2015, ranking fourth in terms of annual sales. Kia Motors broke 30,000 sales for the first time in three years.

Toyota came in first by selling 206,236 units, followed by Mazda and GM Holden, a local unit of U.S carmaker General Motors Co. with annual sales reaching 114,024 units and 102,951 units, respectively, the data showed.

Last year, total car sales in Australia came to around 1.16 million units, up 3.8 percent from a year earlier.

Hyundai and Kia saw their combined sales in Australia grow 30.7 percent over the past five years, which far outperformed an 11.6 percent gain in total sales there during the cited period, the data showed.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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