Sales of recreational vehicles (RVs) in South Korea hit 300,000 units in the first six months of this year for the first time, accounting for half of total passenger car sales in the country thanks to brisk sales of new sport utility vehicle (SUV) models.

According to data released by five car manufacturers in Korea, a total 303,315 RVs were sold in Korea in the January-June period, up 5.8 percent from a year ago, most of which were SUVs when excluding 30,000 units of Kia Motors Corp.’s multi-seater multi-purpose vehicle Carnival. The five carmakers are Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors, Ssangyong Motor Co., Renault Samsung Motors Corp., and GM Korea Co.

Data showed that RVs accounted for 48.4 percent of new car sales in the first half of this year, excluding commercial vehicles, up 3 percentage points from the same period a year ago.

By automaker, top Hyundai Motor sold 118,704 units of SUVs in the first six months of this year, up 27.2 percent from the same period of last year and surpassing the 100,000 mark for the first time in the industry.

The brisk SUV sales were mainly led by mid-size crossover SUV Palisade, which has become an instant hit since its release in December last year. A total 31,502 Palisades were sold in the first half ended June, attributing to overall brisk sales of Hyundai Motor. Consumers that want to buy the Palisade need to wait at least 10 months after signing a purchasing contract.

Hyundai Motor’s smaller sibling Kia Motors sold 102,615 units of RVs, including 68,779 SUVs and 33,836 vans – mainly Carnival. RV sales accounted for 48.7 percent of the company’s overall sales of 210,514 units.

Combined sales of Renault Samsung Motors’ QM3 and QM6 SUVs reached 18,730 units, making up 52.6 percent of the company’s total passenger car sales. Ssangyong Motor sold 55,950 RVs in the first half of this year, including the Rexton Sports and the Tivoli.

SUV sales in the second half of this year is expected to continue to surge as more new models are due to hit the market.

Hyundai Motor, which launched its new entry-level SUV Venue last week, has received over 3,000 units of pre-orders that began late last month. The automaker aims to receive orders for 8,000 units by the end of the year.

Kia Motors will launch its new compact SUV Seltos this week. Renault Samsung Motors also introduced a face-lift model of its mid-size SUV QM6 last month, the first change after the release of the fully changed model three years ago. The upcoming QM6 will also come in the country’s only liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) model.

Ssangyong Motor recently launched the Very New Tivoli last month, a facelift of the Tivoli in four years. GM Korea also plans to release Chevrolet brand’s pick-up truck, Colorado, next month. The automaker plans to add large SUV Traverse and Trailblazer to its lineup with an aim to increase SUV sales to 60 percent of total sales.

By Lee Jae-cheol and Lee Eun-joo

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