À̹ÌÁö È®´ë Renault Samsung Motor`s Clio
Small sedans and hatchbacks will likely phase out from South Korea as producers shift to bigger SUVs and bulkier sedans.
According to industry sources on Thursday, Renault Samsung Motors recently has decided to discontinue Clio and stop selling the compact hatchback in Korea. The company used up all Clio inventories after selling 147 units last month. Cumulative sales of Clio this year declined 11.9 percent from the previous year to total 3,000 cars.
Renault Samsung said it has no plan to bring Clio back, which is now assembled in Turkey. Renault Clio has been praised for its performance and design by global consumers but was not able to appeal to local drivers.
Hyundai Motor also stopped production of its small sedan Accent for Korean market in July. Since then it has been using up only inventories for sale.
Kia Pride and GM Korea¡¯s Chevrolet Aveo, subcompact sedans, have already gone extinct.
Sales of compact vehicles in Korea totaled 299,118 units up to October this year, gaining 4.4 percent from the previous year. Of the total, sedans took up 119,711 units, and SUVs 179,403 units.
À̹ÌÁö È®´ë Kia Motor Corp`s Seltos
Small sedan sales have rapidly been falling from over 240,000 units in 2012 to below 200,000 units in 2017, showing a stark contrast to compact SUVs that have sold 110,621 units in 2016 and 169,346 units in 2017.
New compact SUV releases this year like Hyundai Venue and Kia Seltos have been well received in Korea. Seltos sold 6,136 cars last month, the second-largest after Santa Fe in the SUV category. Its cumulative sales up to November this year reached 27,200 units, according to the company.
Venue sold 1,977 units in November, and its cumulative sales amounted to 13,766 units.
By Pulse
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