SsangYong Motor Company has posted a 6.81 per cent rise in total sales for September, against the same period a year ago. The South Korean automobile maker is part of the $15.4-billion Mahindra Group, after it was acquired by Mahindra and Mahindra in March last year.
In the month under review, the company sold a total of 10,147 vehicles, of which 4,036 units were sold in the Korean market. It exported 6,111 units during the month, SsangYong Motor said in a statement.
“The sales show positive recovery as the number of working days increased and the back orders issue from some assembly lines has been solved,” said Lee Yoo-il, Chief Executive Officer of SsangYong Motor, adding that there continue to be difficulties such as the “economic depression” in the European market.
The company’s domestic sales rose 34.5 per cent during the month under review while, on a sequential basis (compared with August), its domestic sales grew 8.9 per cent.
The increase in domestic sales followed a positive upward trend in sales of refreshed models such as the Korando Sports. Domestic sales rose 11.1 per cent on a sequential basis, mainly due to an increase of working days and decreased back orders for some refreshed models.
Sales of the Korando C and Korando Sports rose by 7.8 per cent and 9.1 per cent respectively, compared with the previous month, while sales of sport utility vehicle Rexton W fell 4.3 per cent. The company’s exports, compared with the same period last year, fell 6 per cent because of the sluggish global auto market and the European economic slowdown.