Hyundai, Kia overseas reps to gather in Seoul for meeting

Heads of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors’ overseas corporate bodies are scheduled to meet in Seoul this week to discuss sales strategies for next year, the company said Tuesday.

Some 50 representatives will attend the meeting scheduled to take place Friday at the company’s headquarters in southern Seoul.

Hyundai and Kia will hold separate meetings, with Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun expected to lead the meeting for Hyundai.

The upcoming meeting, which comes after the one held in July, marks Chung’s second time leading the biannual discussion previously headed by his father, Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo.

At the top of the agenda is expected to be ways to boost sluggish sales in major markets China and the US.

Hyundai Motor’s sales in the US slid 13 percent on-year, with some 565,000 units sold between January and October this year, data provided by the company showed. Its operating profit dropped 16.4 percent on-year to 2.5 trillion won in the first half of this year.

In China, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 702,017 units, down 41.6 percent on-year, between January and September this year.
 
By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)