Renault Korea’s Aug. sales fall 28 pct on reduced shipments

Renault Korea Motors, the South Korean unit of Renault S.A., said Friday its sales fell 28 percent last month from a year earlier due to decreased exports.

Renault Korea sold 8,414 vehicles in August, down from 11,622 units a year earlier due mainly to sharply decreased shipments of the QM6 SUV, the company said in a statement.

Domestic sales plunged 62 percent to 1,502 units from 3,950 during the same period, while exports declined 9.9 percent on-year to 6,912 units from 7,672, it said.

From January to August, its sales plummeted 25 percent to 78,096 autos from 104,451 units in the same period last year.

Domestic sales plunged 55 percent to 15,477 units in the first eight months from 34,437, while exports dropped 11 percent to 62,619 from 70,014 during the same period.

To revive sales, Renault Korea said it will focus on gasoline hybrid models, while making preparations for the production of all-electric models.

Renault Korea currently sells one gasoline hybrid model, the hybrid electric version of the XM3 compact SUV. Its lineup also includes three gasoline-powered ones: the XM3, QM6 SUV and SM6 midsize sedan.

Renault Korea said it plans to add a midsized gasoline hybrid SUV model to the lineup in the second half of next year under its Aurora 1 project.

Source: Yonhap News Agency