Hyundai Motor chief visits U.S. amid sales slump

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. Chairman Chung Mong-koo flew to the
United States to encourage dealers there to boost sales after a sharp drop in
vehicle sales in January, company officials said Monday.

Last month, South Korea's top automaker suffered a 27 percent drop in auto sales
as the deepening global downturn hit consumers' big-ticket spending worldwide.
"Chairman Chung will encourage dealers to boost sales there, and visit some
facilities," said a company official. Chung will return home Friday this week
after visiting plants in Alabama and Georgia.
Hyundai, the world's fifth-largest automaker by sales volume along with its
affiliate Kia Motors Corp., is increasingly worried about a sales collapse in the
United States, the company's largest overseas market.
Hyundai said it slashed output at its domestic plants by 30 percent during the
first-quarter of this year as the global downturn slackened demand for new
vehicles.
In a rare move, Hyundai hasn't set its 2009 sales target, citing a tough market
environment.
Earlier this month, Chung also visited European nations to call on dealers there
to boost sales.
sam@yna.co.kr
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