The Casper EV (Image courtesy of Hyundai Motor Co.)
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – Sales of mini cars by South Korea’s five automakers are expected to remain below 100,000 units for a second consecutive year in 2025, industry data showed Sunday, amid a lack of new models and shifting consumer preferences.
From January to October, the five carmakers — Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp., GM Korea Co., Renault Korea Motors and KG Mobility Corp. — sold a combined 60,004 mini cars, down 27.3 percent from 82,485 units a year earlier, according to their sales data.
If the trend continues, annual mini car sales are expected to come in at around 70,000 units this year, marking a record-low level.
GM Korea halted production of its Chevrolet Spark last year, pulling total annual mini car sales below 100,000 units for the first time, to 98,743 vehicles, the data showed.
Mini car models currently available in the domestic market include Hyundai Motor’s Casper and Kia’s Ray and Morning.
The new Kia Ray. (Photo provided by Kia)
The downward trend appears to stem from a shortage of new mini car models, delays in upcoming launches, and growing consumer preference for small sport utility vehicles (SUVs) amid rising demand for outdoor leisure activities, such as camping and fishing.
“Mini car sales are expected to remain sluggish as no new models are scheduled for release for the time being,” an industry official said.
In contrast, demand for mini cars remains robust in the used-car market amid a prolonged economic slowdown.
In third-quarter used-car sales rankings, Kia’s Morning ranked first, followed by GM’s Spark in second and Kia’s Ray in fourth, according to auto industry tracker Carisyou.
(Yonhap)
