Hyundai's January sales increases 50.4%

South Korean auto giant, Hyundai has reported an increase of 50.4% in its domestic and overseas sales for January 2010. The company recorded total global sales of 269,841 units, as compared to 179,385 units in January 2009.

According to Hyundai, the overall domestic sales (including 35,957 passenger cars sold, 10,815 SUVs sold and 13,002 CVs sold) is 59,774 units in January 2010, compared to 35,396 units in January 2009. This shows an increase of 68.9% year on year sales.

The increase is primarily attributed to a base effect from a year earlier when the consumer demand was the lowest since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. At the same time, the succesful launch of new models, Tucson ix and Sonata, also boosted the sales, said the company.

The company's Sonata model ranked top in the domestic market, selling 15,362 units.

In additon, the overall overseas sales of Hyundai (including 66,069 units in exports and 143,998 units in overseas plant) is 210,067 units in January 2010, compared to 143,989 units, an increase of 45.9%.

Hyundai Motor is a division of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. It is a global automaker headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and operates an integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, capable of producing 1.6 million units annually. The company currently has five overseas plants in China, India, Turkey, US and Czech Republic.