South Korea’s largest auto label Hyundai Motor Co. will retire three-year-old Aslan, a premium model, due to disappointing sales from lack of features that could beat its rivals.

The company said the last Aslan will be made this month. The company has decided to discontinue the model that debuted in October 2014 due to poor consumer response.

Aslan, which was expected to compete against import luxury cars and its sibling Grandeur, sold 8,629 units in 2015 and 2,246 units in 2016 in Korea. Its sales from January to November this year plunged to 438 units.

Not only has Aslan failed to steal attention away from import luxury cars but also has it been completely beaten in competition with Hyundai Motor’s another mid-sized premium sedan Grandeur, which shares the platform with Aslan.

Aslan lost ground to Grandeur, which is better in all aspects including performance, brand popularity and sales record. Among the Grandeur lineup, the top-grade 3.3 Celebrity has cemented its position as the flagship sedan of the Korean automaker, defeating Aslan.

Despite the decision to discontinue Aslan’s production, Hyundai Motor plans to keep providing full services for those who have already purchased the model and maintain the owners’ membership to supply all parts at least for the next eight years.

By Lee Seung-hoon and Lee Ha-yeon

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]