Hyundai sales up 19% in January-August

MANILA, Philippines - Sales of Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) in the January to August period went up 19 percent from a year ago, largely due to an increase in the purchases of passenger cars.

HARI said in a statement yesterday it sold 15,735 units in the eight months to August, higher than the 13,271 units sold in the same period last year.

It noted that the passenger car segment accounted for bulk of the sales, rising 59 percent to 9,940 units compared to the 6,241 units sold in the previous year.

It added that the noteworthy performance was spearheaded by the i10, Accent and Elantra models which grew 60 percent, 57 percent and 55 percent, respectively.

The EON is also picking up with an 18-percent share of total passenger car sales.

Sales of the light commercial vehicle segment meanwhile, declined 18 percent to 5,795 units as of end-August compared to the previous year.

For the month of August alone, HARI’s car sales climbed two percent to reach 1,454 units compared to the 1,419 units in the same month last year.

The higher sales in August was once again driven by the passenger car segment which jumped 72 percent to 1,014 units from 591 units sold in the same month a year ago.

Light commercial vehicle sales meanwhile, fell 47 percent to 440 units from last year’s 828 units.

Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, HARI president and chief executive officer, said the firm saw continued growth in sales, particularly in passenger cars, due to huge demand.

“We expect this positive trend to extend all the way to yearend, with strong economic fundamentals and HARI dealer network’s push for even more innovative customer care offerings to drive the business full speed ahead,” she said.

Earlier, the company said it is aiming to make Hyundai the top automotive brand in the country in 10 years.