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Hyundai’s Grandeur enjoys national popularity

Posted December. 18, 2017 07:57,   

Updated December. 18, 2017 08:21

한국어

Hyundai Motor’s Grandeur IG has become definitely one of the models that enjoyed a skyrocketing popularity this year. Over 120,000 units of the sixth generation Grandeur has been sold for the first 11 months of this year, and given that around 10,000 units have been sold every month, the total number of sales for this year is expected to well exceed the 130,000 mark, an all-time record for the Grandeur series.

As such, one cannot talk about this year’s trends in the domestic car market without mentioning Hyundai’s Grandeur, which rose to become one of the most beloved cars by Korean people. It is the only model that has been sold more than 100,000 units in the country this year, successfully taking over national popularity previously enjoyed by Hyundai’s Avante and Sonata, which have sold 77,013 units and 76,384 units, respectively, until November.

“The Grandeur IG was redesigned to feel more dynamic than previous models, and I believe that appealed to younger customers in their 30s and 40s,” said an official at Hyundai Motor. “Also, the model’s advanced functions for the highest level of convenience and safety have been well received by customers.” Those in their 20s and 30s indeed take up around 30 percent of Grandeur’s individual buyers, proving that the model is no longer only liked by corporate executives or the older generations like it used to be.

Meanwhile, the rising popularity of sport utility vehicles (SUV) is expected to remain in place next year. Besides Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors that saw boosted profits this year with the launch of Kona and Stonic, GM Korea and other carmakers seem to be rushing to strengthen their own lineup of SUVs in preparation for fierce competition.

Industry insiders say that the domestic vehicle market will plateau at around 1.8 million units next year while the share of SUVs in the total sales will steadily grow. Hyundai has sold around 20,904 units of its small SUV Kona till November since it started sales in July. During the same period, the sales of Kia’s Stonic recorded 7,320 units, which is less than that of Kona but the company’s sales target of 1,500 units per month is being easily fulfilled.



Dong-Il Seo dong@donga.com