Hyundai Motor September sales rise 14%; Kia sales jump 16%

Bloomberg News (Seoul) - Hyundai Motor Co. (005380), South Korea's largest automaker, said sales increased 14 percent in September helped by strong demand in overseas markets.

Hyundai sold 359,560 vehicles last month, according to a regulatory filing today. Overseas sales at the Seoul-based automaker rose 17 percent while domestic sales fell 1.1 percent.

Kia Motors Corp. (000270) sold 213,102 vehicles in September, an increase of 16 percent from a year earlier, the affiliate of Hyundai said in a separate filing today. Overseas sales gained 20 percent while domestic sales rose 4.4 percent.

Hyundai Motor dropped 2.8 percent to 205,000 won at the 3 p.m. close in Seoul trading, while the benchmark Kospi index (KOSPI) slid 3.6 percent. Kia shares declined 3.8 percent.