Hyundai, Kia log brisk sales in Russia in August

Korea's carmakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. enjoyed brisk sales in Russia last month on steady shipments of their popular models, industry data showed Tuesday.

According to the data compiled by the Association of European Businesses (AEB), Hyundai sold 13,323 units in Russia in August, up 9 percent from a year ago. Sales of its smaller affiliate Kia jumped 26 percent on-year to 16,027 vehicles.

Russia's entire passenger car market grew 15 percent on-year to 258,761 vehicles last month.

In terms of sales, Kia ranked second among foreign brands in Russia, following Chevrolet cars with 19,742 units sold.

Hyundai fell to fifth from fourth in July as Toyota and Volkswagen moved up with sales of 14,229 and 13,360 units, respectively, according to the AEB data.

However, Hyundai's Solaris, called the Accent in the United States, retained its best-selling foreign brand status, with 7,953 units sold, while Kia's Rio, also called the Pride, ranked third with 6,602 units after Ford's Focus.

For the first eight months of the year, Kia sold 124,133 units in the Russian market, up 24 percent from a year earlier, with Hyundai's sales gaining 18 percent to 116,868 units. (Yonhap)