Hyundai Motor Group ranks 5th worldwide in H1 sales

SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. were the world's fifth-largest seller of automobiles in the first half of the year, an industry report said Sunday. Hyundai and Kia, the flagships of Hyundai Motor Group, sold a combined 3.19 million vehicles globally in the January-June period, up 15.9 percent from the 2.75 million units sold a year earlier, according to the report by the Korea Automotive Research Institute. Hyundai Motor Group's first-half growth rate was the largest among the world's major automakers, it said. General Motors Co. was the top global seller in the first half, trailed by Volkswagen, Toyota Motor Corp. and Renault-Nissan. Sales of General Motors rose 11.7 percent on-year to 4.64 million units in the first half thanks to brisk shipments in the U.S. and Chinese markets. Volkswagen's global sales climbed 14.2 percent to 4.09 million units, while Toyota sold 3.48 million vehicles, a sharp 17.9 percent decline from a year earlier. Renault-Nissan followed with worldwide sales of 3.43 million units. The report showed the sales gap between Hyundai Motor Group and Toyota Motors narrowed to 290,000 units in the first half from around 1.5 million units a year earlier, as the Japanese carmaker took a hit from supply chain disruptions sparked by the March earthquake. Global automobile sales rose 5.8 percent on-year to 36.71 million units in the first half, bolstered by brisk shipments in emerging markets and a snapback in the U.S. market, it added.