Renault Korea Motors, the South Korean unit of Renault S.A., said Wednesday its sales plunged 52 percent last month from a year earlier as demand for its models fell further.
Renault Korea sold 9,105 vehicles in September, down from 18,922 units a year earlier due to weak sales at home and abroad, the company said in a statement.
Domestic sales plummeted 67 percent to 1,651 units from 5,050 during the same period, while exports declined 46 percent on-year to 7,454 units from 13,872, it said.
From January to September, its sales declined 29 percent to 87,201 autos from 123,373 units in the same period last year.
Domestic sales plunged 57 percent to 17,128 units in the first nine months from 39,487, while exports dropped 17 percent to 70,073 from 83,886 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.
This undated file photo provided by Renault Korea Motors shows XM3 SUVs lined up for export at the carmaker's sole plant in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Source: Yonhap News Agency