Hyundai regains top spot in Russian car market

SEOUL (Yonhap) - Hyundai Motor Co.'s, South Korea's largest carmaker, was the best selling foreign car brand in Russia last month, industry data showed Tuesday.
According to the data by the Association of European Businesses (AEB), total sales of Hyundai vehicles reached 15,317 units in September, exceeding the 15,255 cars sold by runner-up Chevrolet, and ahead of such carmakers as Nissan and Renault.
The findings marked the first time since February 2010 that Hyundai has been the No. 1 foreign car brand in Russia.
In addition to last month's strong sales, Hyundai, the flagship company of the Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest carmaker, sold a combined 114,161 cars in the European country so far this year. This makes the company the second-largest foreign car brand in the country.
Hyundai, meanwhile, said that sales were buoyed by the popularity of its Solaris sub-compact that is assembled at its St. Petersburg plant.
The car, a localized version of the Accent small four-door sedan, was the best selling foreign car last month with sales hitting 9,479 units.
Hyundai has held the title for six months and ranked fourth among all cars sold in the country, including vehicles made by Russian manufacturers.