Five carmakers in South Korea, including Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, sold a combined 898,396 vehicles during the January-June period, of which 466,596 units, or 51.9 percent, were diesel cars. (image: Kia Motors)
SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — The ratio of diesel engine cars sold during the first half of the year in South Korea topped 50 percent, industry data showed Tuesday, as carmakers offered diverse models running on the cheaper fuel.
According to the data, five carmakers in South Korea, including Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, sold a combined 898,396 vehicles during the January-June period, of which 466,596 units, or 51.9 percent, were diesel cars.
Diesel cars dominated the best-selling models as well. Of the top 10 best-sellers during the period, six were diesel models, including Hyundai Motor’s Porter truck, Santa Fe and Tucson, and Kia Motors’ Carnival.
Comparable figures for the diesel car portion were not available, but the latest data showed that the trend is growing as customers seek to buy cars with better fuel efficient engines and cheaper fuel than gasoline.
The trend has already been apparent in sales of foreign cars in which the ratio of diesel car imports is well over 50 percent.
During the first half of the year, a total of 82,023 diesel vehicles were sold in South Korea, 68.4 percent of the total foreign car sales. It was up from the previous year’s 67.8 percent.
The diesel car ratio among foreign brands has been on a steep rise ever since it exceeded the 50 percent mark in 2012.
(Yonhap)
