Ssangyong Motor’s sales rise 9.5% in January

Ssangyong Motor said Monday that its sales grew 9.5 percent on-year in January on a surge in domestic sales.

Sales of Ssangyong vehicles abroad decreased 6 percent to 6,189 units in January from the same month of last year. However, domestic sales jumped 34.9 percent to 5,445 vehicles over the cited period, said the automaker, local unit of Indian sport utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra.

“Despite a reduction of working days caused by the Lunar New Year holiday, Ssangyong’s domestic sales exceeded 5,000 units in January thanks to a rise in sales of the New Korando C and Korando Sports models and popularity of the Korando Turismo,” a company official said. The three-day holiday began on Jan. 30.

Ssangyong has seen its domestic sales surpass 5,000 units every month since April last year.

Ssangyong, the fourth largest South Korea-based carmaker, has set a total of selling 160,000 units at home and abroad this year, a rise of 10 percent from 2013.

It sold 145,649 cars last year, its largest since 2002. The figure represents a 20.7 percent hike from 2012.

Of the total, 81,679 vehicles were sold abroad.

AJP