Ssangyong Motor's sales jump 46.1 pct in July

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- Ssangyong Motor Co., South Korea's smallest automaker, said Monday its sales surged 46.1 percent to a monthly high in July, fueled by strong exports and domestic demand. The company sold a record 10,763 vehicles last month, compared with 7,369 units a year earlier. Domestic sales rose 28 percent on-year to 3,506 units with exports shooting up 56.7 percent to 7,257 units. The carmaker also said sales topped the 10,000-unit mark for the fifth straight month in July. In the first seven months of the year, sales soared 51.9 percent on-year to 66,636 vehicles. Exports spiked 63.7 percent to 42,884 units, and domestic sales rose 34.3 percent to 23,752 vehicles. The company expected sales to grow in the second half with the restart of shipments to China in August.