Hyundai Motor's China sales rise 10 pct in H1

South Korea's No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Tuesday its sales in China rose 10 percent on-year in the first half of this year as demand for its medium-sized cars grew in the world's second-largest economy. Hyundai Motor said 363,473 units of its vehicles were sold in the January-June period, compared with 328,692 units a year earlier. The figure marks 50.5 percent of its full-year goal of 720,000 units. Hyundai officials estimated that the carmaker grabbed a 6.3 percent share of the Chinese market in the first half, making it the fourth-largest automobile seller in China. Chinese customers' rising demand for the company's mid-sized vehicles contributed to the sales growth, the Hyundai officials said. The sales of mid-size automobiles, such as the Sonata and the Tucson, rose 11 percent on-year, accounting for 33 percent of the total sales. Meanwhile, Kia Motors Corp., the smaller affiliate of Hyundai Motor, said it registered record monthly sales for the second consecutive month in June. The maker of the Sportage R and the K5 sold 31,163 units last month, up 25 percent on-year. It was also comparable to the May sales of 31,160. The growth rate was significantly above the average growth of 9.5 percent witnessed in the overall Chinese auto industry in June. In the first half of the year, Kia, the second largest carmaker in South Korea, sold 190,150 units, up 10.9 percent from 160,817 units in the same period last year. Hyundai Motor Group, which includes both Hyundai and Kia, said earlier it aims to sell 1,150,000 vehicles in China this year.