The Best-selling Cars in Korea

Walter Foreman·
News
··4 min read

World Top Five

Korea’s car manufacturers crank-out enough vehicles to make Korea the fifth-largest automobile producing country in the world. China is number one, in case you were curious.

But when it comes to the best-selling cars here in Korea, which model took the top spot in August?

Hyundai Dominance

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that Hyundai must be near the top of any best-selling car list in Korea.

Nearly four out of every 10 domestic vehicles sold in Korea in August bore the Hyundai ‘H’ on their hoods. And when Kia’s sales are added into the mix — Hyundai owns Kia — that number rises to more than 7 out of 10. Hyundai and Kia gave new meaning to the term best-selling, accounting for about 92,000 of the nearly 120,000 vehicles sold in Korea last month. That’s a pretty big piece of the automotive pie for Hyundai-Kia.

Korea’s Best-seller in August

So which Hyundai proved to be the best-selling model in August?

None other than the Hyundai Avante.

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With sales of over 8,800 units in August, the Hyundai Avante (AKA Elantra) is Korea's best-selling car in August.
With sales of over 8,800 units in August, the Hyundai Avante (AKA Elantra) is Korea’s best-selling car in August.

And that’s a particularly impressive feat considering that the current Avante is a bit long-in-the-tooth. A bigger, faster, harder, stronger model will be replacing it soon. Nevertheless, 8,806 Avantes Daft Punked their way off the lot and into people’s apartment parkades in August, a 7.3% increase over the previous month.

The Rest of the Best-selling Cars in Korea

Hyundai vehicles also took the other two podium steps in the August best-selling cars competition. The venerable Sonata sold sufficient numbers (8,218) to stand second, while the recently re-designed Santa Fe SUV-ed its way into third place with 7,959 units sold.

The Hyundai Sonata sold 8,218 units in August. Surprisingly, it is not Korea's best-selling car.
The Hyundai Sonata sold 8,218 units in August. Surprisingly, it is not Korea’s best-selling car.
The Hyundai Santa Fe sold just a hair under 8,000 units in August, making it the third best-selling vehicle in Korea in August and the number one best-selling SUV.
The Hyundai Santa Fe sold just a hair under 8,000 units in August, making it the third best-selling vehicle in Korea in August and the number one best-selling SUV.

Chevrolet Crashes the Hyundai-Kia Party

Of the 10 best-selling cars in Korea for August, only one is neither a Hyundai nor a Kia.

GM Korea, AKA Chevrolet, scored something of a coup with its all-new Spark.  The totally redesigned commuter car was the fourth best-selling car in Korea in August. This is the first time since December 2013 that the former Daewoo has cracked the top five best-selling cars in Korea.

The Chevrolet Spark sold 6,987 units in August, more than double the number of units sold in July, and good for fourth place on August's list of best-selling cars.
The Chevrolet Spark sold 6,987 units in August, more than double the number of units sold in July, and good for fourth place on August’s list of best-selling cars.

Morning Comes Later

And speaking of number five, that honor went to the Spark’s crosstown rival the Kia Morning. And it was a tight race. The difference between the two so-called city cars was just 33 units: 6,987 for the Spark versus 6,954 for the Morning.

The Kia Morning sold 6,954 units in August. It used to be Korea's best-selling "city car." That honor now goes to the Chevrolet Spark.
The Kia Morning sold 6,954 units in August. It used to be Korea’s best-selling “city car.” That honor now goes to the Chevrolet Spark.

The Worst of the Best

Looking way down to the bottom of the 54-vehicle best-selling cars list, the two worst-selling cars in Korea in August were a couple of coupes: the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and the Chevrolet Camaro. The former selling 28 units and the latter just three. In fact, the Camaro was the only vehicle from a domestic company to sell in the single digits. Coupes just don’t cut it in Korea, not domestic ones at least. Since the start of the year, Hyundai has moved just 179 examples of its two-door Genesis, while Chevy could only find 33 people to buy its Camaro.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is Korea's best-selling two-door car, but that's not saying much. Just 28 units were sold in August and only 179 all year.
The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is Korea’s best-selling two-door car, but that’s not saying much. Just 28 units were sold in August and only 179 all year.
The Chevrolet Camaro has just slightly more buyers than it does doors. Three people in August bought Chevy's two-door pony car. Thirty-three people have done so all year.
The Chevrolet Camaro has just slightly more buyers than it does doors. Three people in August bought Chevy’s two-door pony car. Thirty-three people have done so all year.

The Undisputed Sales King

And in case you were wondering what vehicle has been the best-selling car in Korea all year, here’s your answer:

The Hyundai Porter. Korea's best-selling vehicle from Jan. to Aug. 2015 with 67,399 units sold.
The Hyundai Porter. Korea’s best-selling vehicle from Jan. to Aug. 2015 with 67,399 units sold.

The Hyundai Porter has sold 67,399 units in the first eight months of 2015. That’s a scant 487 more units than the car you probably thought was Korea’s best-seller, the Sonata.