Renault Samsung's Sept. sales halve amid pandemic

Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Monday its sales fell 51.4 percent last month from a year earlier amid the new coronavirus' impact on the automobile industry.

The South Korean unit of Renault SA sold 7,386 vehicles in September, down from 15,208 units a year ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect demand for autos, the company said in a statement.

Domestic sales declined 24.1 percent to 5,934 units last month from 7,817 units a year ago, while exports plunged 80.4 percent to 1,452 from 7,391 over the cited period, the statement said.

From January to September, the company's sales dropped 29.5 percent to 91,544 units from 129,913 in the year-ago period, it said.

The company's current passenger car lineup includes the all-electric SM3 ZE sedan, the SM6 sedan, the XM3 SUV and the QM6 SUV.

Renault holds an 81 percent stake in Renault Samsung. (Yonhap)