Sales of Hyundai, Kia jump 15.9 pct in BRIC

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's top two carmakers, saw their sales in the so-called BRIC markets jump more than 15 percent in July from a year ago, data showed Monday.

Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 190,000 vehicles in Brazil, Russia, India and China in July, up 15.9 percent from 164,000 units from the same period a year earlier, according to the data released by Hyundai's Korea Automotive Research Institute.

Hyundai and its smaller sister company Kia are the two major flagship units of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest carmaker.

Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 114,000 units in China in July, up 17.5 percent from a year ago, according to the data. Their strong sales pushed up their combined market share to 9.5 percent in the world's largest automotive market, compared with 9.1 percent from a year ago.

In Brazil, Hyundai sold 18,000 units in July, up 123 percent from 8,000 vehicles from a year ago, on the back of the popularity of its subcompact model, the HB20, according to the report by the research institute.

In Russia, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 32,000 units in July, up 3.2 percent from a year ago, according to the report. The modest growth came as auto sales in Russia fell 8.3 percent from a year ago due to sluggish exports and weak domestic demand.

Meanwhile, Hyundai sold 26,000 units in India in July, down 5.9 percent from a year ago, according to the data. It marked the first time since December that Hyundai's monthly sales have dropped below 30,000 units.

Kia has yet to make inroads into Brazil or India. (Yonhap news)