South Korean auto sales up 3.8% in October

South Korean auto sales advanced 3.8 percent in October from a year earlier on the back of improved sales in the overseas market, data showed Friday. Combined sales of the country's five major carmakers led by industry leader Hyundai Motor Co. came in at 760,661 units last month, compared with 732,635 vehicles last year, the aggregate data released by the five carmakers showed. The other four are Hyundai's smaller sister company Kia Motors Corp., GM Korea Co., Renault Samsung Motors Inc. and Ssangyong Motor Co. Combined domestic sales moved down 1.67 percent on-year to 122,027 units, while overseas sales advanced 4.9 percent to 638,634 units, the data showed. Hyundai Motor sold 416,919 vehicles in October, compared with 412,189 units in the same month in 2012, the company said in a statement. The top player attributed this month's on-year rise to improved sales in overseas markets. Hyundai Motor's domestic sales, however, plunged 6.4 percent on-year in October to reach 57,553, while its exports advanced 2.5 percent on-year to reach 359,366 units over the cited period. Kia Motors, South Korea's second-biggest automaker, said it sold 249,108 vehicles -- 39,000 at home and 210,108 abroad -- last month, compared with 231,488 units in October of 2012. Kia's sales at home decreased 3.9 percent over the cited period, whereas its overseas sales shot up 10.1 percent. Hyundai and Kia are the two major flagship units of Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest automaker. GM Korea, the local unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., said it also sold 67,661 vehicles last month, up 1.6 percent from 66,629 units tallied in the same month a year earlier. Ssangyong Motor, the local unit of Indian sport utility vehicle (SUV) maker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., reported that its October sales jumped 27.1 percent on higher demand for SUVs. Ssangyong Motor sold 14,244 units last month, compared with 11,206 vehicles a year earlier. The figure included shipments of complete knockdown kits of parts and components to be assembledinto vehicles. The company's domestic sales rose 48.2 percent on-year to 6,202 units in October, its largest monthly sale since December 2006, while its overseas sales gained 17.5 percent to 8,042 units. Renault Samsung Motors, the local unit of French automaker Renault SA, added that its October sales came in at 12,729 units, up 12.1 percent from a year earlier. The carmaker's domestic sales rose 14.4 percent to 5,350 units in the same period, with its outbound shipments growing 10.5 percent to 7,379 vehicles. It attributed improved performance in the local market to upbeat sales of its SM7 sedan and QM5 crossover, the company's two flagship models in South Korea.