Hyundai, Kia report record car sales in China for January

SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp.
said Sunday that they sold a record number of cars in China in January.
The two largest South Korean carmakers said their Chinese affiliates -- Beijing
Hyundai Motor Co. and Dongfeng Yueda Kia Automobile Co. -- sold 42,790 and 17,607
units, respectively, in January.
The January sales represent a gain of 35 percent and 15 percent, compared to the
year before, they said.
The two Chinese companies import key components from their parent companies for
assembly and sale.
Hyundai and Kia attributed the surge in sales to quick reaction taken by their
local affiliates to capitalize on special benefits offered by the Chinese
government for people who buy small-sized cars with engine capacity of under-1.6
liters.
The carmakers added that Beijing Hyundai had employed a flexible assembly line
system that allows the building of up to four models simultaneously, while
Dongfeng Yueda Kia had developed options for its cars that best reflected local
demand.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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