Hyundai, Kia show off new cars at China auto show

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. are showcasing their latest midsized sedans at the China International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou ahead of the vehicles’ launch next year.

At the press day event for the show Monday, Hyundai unveiled the new Sonata sedan for the Chinese market for the first time.

The show opens to the public Tuesday and continues until Dec. 27.

Hyundai is planning to introduce the Sonata on the Chinese market next year, hoping to use the vehicle to maintain its growth momentum in the world’s largest market.

Models pose with Kia Motors Corp.’s K5 (above photo) and Hyundai Motor Co.’s Sonata at the China International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou on Monday. (Yonhap News)

The company projects that its Chinese sales figure will break the 700,000 unit mark. Last year the company sold about 570,000 vehicles in the Chinese market.

The company said that the Sonata marketed in China will be produced at its Chinese plants, and that the completion of ongoing works in that country will boost its production capacity to 1 million units by 2012.

In addition to the Sonata, Hyundai is showcasing 19 vehicles including the five-door version of the subcompact Verna at the Guangzhou show.

Hyundai’s sister carmaker Kia Motors Corp. is also leading its exhibition with a midsized sedan that will hit the Chinese market next year.

The center stage of Kia’s 22-vehicle exhibit is taken by the K5, which has proved highly popular in the Korean market. As with Hyundai, Kia is hoping that the K5 will help it to continue increasing sales in China when the car is released there during the first half of next year.

During the first 11 months of this year, Kia sold about 301,000 units in China, recording a year-on-year growth rate of 44.7 percent.