SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korean automakers saw global car sales fall last month on the weakening of global demand, industry data showed on Monday.
The number of cars sold at home and abroad by five local automotive companies, including Hyundai, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Samsung and Ssangyong, totaled 702,123 in March, down 2.5 percent from a year earlier.
In the domestic market, the car sales inched down 0.9 percent over the year to 138,252 units in March, and the auto export declined 2.9 percent to 563,871 vehicles in the month.
Car export by top carmaker Hyundai Motor shrank 3.4 percent to 389,160 vehicles on soft demand from China and Latin American countries, but its domestic auto sales rose 3.7 percent to 70,111 units on the brisk sale of new models such as Palisade sport utility vehicle (SUV) and Grandeur sedan.
Kia Motors, the country's No.2 automaker affiliated with Hyundai, saw its local car sales reduce 8.9 percent, but its car export gained 2.2 percent to 198,384 units in the cited period.
GM Korea posted increases both in the local sales and the export of its models, but Renault Samsung's car sales at home and abroad tumbled by double-digits last month.
Ssangyong's domestic car sales jumped 18.8 percent to 10,984 units, with its export advancing 22.6 percent to 2,606 vehicles.
