South Korea’s top carmaker, Hyundai Motor Co., and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. are aiming to sell 8.2 million units globally next year, about 1.5 percent higher than their global sales this year, industry sources said Wednesday.
Although the final decision on these figures is yet to be made, Hyundai’s and Kia’s sales targets for overseas markets are likely to stand at 3.18 million units and 1.44 million units, while those for the home turf may come to 1.87 million and 1.71 million, respectively, according to industry sources.
“The sales objective for the new year is still undergoing changes,” a Hyundai official said. “Exact figures will be announced (Friday).”
For the whole of 2014, combined sales of the two automakers are forecast to top the 8-million mark for the first time, having pushed up their performance by 1.78 percent from their original goal of 7.86 million units.
The carmakers, however, forecast that the coming year may be clouded by unfavorable market conditions, including the persistent weakening of the Japanese yen, as well as an overall slowdown in recovery for the global economy.
With these circumstances in mind, the two affiliates said they are looking to step up their game by meeting consumer expectations in China and Europe, and anticipate demand for more crossover sport utility vehicles and eco-friendly cars.
Earlier this month, Hyundai and Kia had predicted overall global car sales would rise 3.9 percent on-year to 87.1 million units, up from the 80.99 million forecast for 2014.
(Yonhap)
