South Korea Full Year 2013: Hyundai Avante’s slim win over Kia Morning

Hyundai Avante

* See the Top 53 All-local models and Top 25 brands by clicking on the title! *

Sales of new local cars in South Korea are down 2% in 2013 to 1,375,162 registrations (1.53 million including foreign brands), and this year we witnessed the closest battle for the title of best-selling model in South Korea – ever! The year-to-date leadership changed hands no less than 4 times during the year: the Hyundai Grandeur was fastest off the starting block, passed the relay to the Kia Morning in March, back to the Grandeur in July, to the Morning in August and finally to the Hyundai Avante in October until the end of the year, marking the nameplate’s third consecutive year in pole position in spite of sales down 16% on 2012. However only the Avante’s advantage over the Kia Morning is only 335 units (96,933 vs. 93,631) and over the surprise of the year, the Hyundai Porter, only 1,937 (92,029). Whereas it had never topped the monthly charts before, the Porter did so 4 times this year: in June and from October to December!

The Kia Morning misses out on the year-end pole position for just 335 sales!

The Hyundai Grandeur manages to keep the 4th spot it held at the end of 2012 in-extremis with 88,501 sales vs. 88,354 for the Hyundai Sonata down 15% to #5. With the Santa Fe up 15% to #6, Hyundai places 5 models inside the Top 6 in 2013. For its first full year of sales, the Kia K3 breaks into the Top 10 at #10 with 51,279 units, while the Kia K7 gains 26% to #19, the SsangYong Korando C 16% to #21 and the Hyundai Equus 37% to #26. We welcome 3 all-new entrants in the local models ranking this year: the Chevrolet Trax at #35, Hyundai Maxcruz (aka Santa Fe XL) at #36 and the Samsung QM3 (aka Renault Captur) at #50.

Previous post: South Korea November 2013: Hyundai Porter #1 again, Samsung QM3 in Top 30

Previous year:  South Korea Full Year 2012: Hyundai Avante and Sonata lead

Full Year 2013 Top 54 All-local models and Top 25 brands Ranking Tables below.