January 3, 2002	Thursday	Shawwal 18, 1422

SEOUL, Jan 2: South Korea’s largest automaker, Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Co. lifted sales 5.7 per cent to a record 2.6 million vehicles last year, they said on Wednesday.

Hyundai Motor sold 1.6 million vehicles in 2001, up 4.3 per cent from a year earlier, while Kia Motors sales came to 990,804, a rise of 7.5 per cent.

“The 2001 sales figure hit a record high,” Hyundai Motor said in a statement.

Hyundai Motor’s domestic sales in 2001 rose 9.3 per cent to 706,664 vehicles, with sports/utility vehicles up 30.4 per cent at 146,817.

Passenger cars sales were up 4.9 per cent at 328,962 units, and buses and trucks sales were up 4.8 per cent at 230,885.

Exports rose 0.7 per cent to 892,301 vehicles in 2001 on the back of a steady rise in demand for higher-end models in the US market, it said.

Hyundai Motor has set a sales target of $18.1 billion or 1.68 million vehicles this year.—AFP