After 2020, the Korean automotive industry continues to face difficulties in 2021. In the aftermath of the pandemic, production disruptions caused by unstable supply and demand for semiconductors have intensified.
As a result, some popular models take more than a year from booking to delivery to customers. The monthly sales results announced by each brand are actually jokingly called "monthly production results", and new car shipments and deliveries are delayed.
In 2021, the Cumulative Sales of the South Korean automotive industry 1402361 units, down 11.1% from 1577807 units in 2020. Hyundai Motor, Renault Samsung, Ssangyong Motors and GM Korea all saw double-digit declines and fell into an extreme downturn. On the other hand, the Genises brand has achieved rapid growth, and Kia has also dominated SUVs and achieved a good lead.
[1] Hyundai cars
Hyundai continued to take the top spot last year with sales of 559,424 units (excluding large trucks and buses). However, this represents a 14.3% decrease compared to 2020 (652,401 units). In particular, the gap with second place Kia is only 30,000 vehicles.
Porter ranks first in South Korea's auto sales. Porter topped the list with 92,218 units sold. Yazun (89,084 units) managed to keep his pride in second place, but didn't look as good as before. Compared to 145,463 units that could not be surpassed in 2020, it was down -38.8%. The Elantra (71,036 units, -19.0%), which caused a sensation as it was launched, did not perform as well as last year.
Hyundai's model with the biggest decline was the kona. Compared to 2020, Kona is down 61.6%,
Despite the launch of the redesigned model at the end of last year, Kona still suffered a serious decline. The market for small SUVs is shrinking, and new designs are controversial. In addition, the old Kona EV suffered a series of fires, the image was seriously damaged, and the finally redesigned electric model was not released in South Korea.
However, New Tucson, which achieved a new car effect, led the way with 48,376 units (+33.8%). The new Starria (26,240 units), Ioniq 5 (22,671 units) and Casper (1806 units) received good responses and defended their performance.
[2] Kia
In 2021, Asia sold 532,430 units (excluding buses), ranking second. Despite the crisis caused by the epidemic and the instability of semiconductor supply and demand, it is about to catch up with modern cars.
Kia's best performers last year were Jawa (73,503 units, +14.5%) and Sorento (69,934 units, -15%). In particular, the carnival has maintained a fairly high popularity since its launch in mid-2020. In the second year of sorento's launch, some of the impact of the new car has disappeared, but still overwhelms rival Shengda (41,600 units). The all-new Generation Sportage increased by 39,762 units, up 115.8% year-on-year.
However, there are still some models that are about to be remodeled or replaced, with the Niro (18,504 units, -12.9%) selling down, while the KX3 (18,425 units, -19%). The K5 (59,499 units, -29.6%) lost the effect of the new car, while the discontinued Steinger (3167 units, -10.2%) saw a significant decline in sales.
Morning (35,530 units, -21.2%) and Ray (35,956 units, +26.0%) had mixed feelings.
[3] Geniseith
In 2021, Geniseys sold 138,756 units, the highest performance ever. Although consumer confidence contracted due to the pandemic and delays in the supply of new cars due to unstable supply and demand for semiconductors, it only saw growth last year. That's a 28.0% increase from 2020 (108,384 units), which last year exceeded the 100,000-unit mark for the first time.
The design controversy of the G70 (7429 units, -6.1%), the G90 (5089 units, 49.2%) before the launch of the fully modified model, and the GV80 (24,591 units, -28.1%), but the new GV70 (49,994 units) drove the brand's performance. In addition, the G80 (59,463 units, +5.9%) showed steady growth.
The outlook for this year is also bright. The brand's first dedicated electric vehicle, the GV60 (1,190 units), topped 1,000 units in three months of launch, and sales grew steadily. In addition, the third electric vehicle GV70 electrified model and the brand flagship G90, which will be officially released after the launch at the end of last year, will also be sold this year.
[4] Renault Samsung XM3
Renault Samsung ranked fourth in brand sales last year. Compared to 2020 (95,939 units), sales this year were only 61,096 units, down 36.3%.
With the exception of the Zoe (774 units, +303.1%), sales of all Renault Samsung models declined. The QM6 (37,747 units, -19.4% yoY) is the only model on the market to offer LPG models, and while struggling on its own road, it's not enough.
But what is even more distressing is the sluggish performance of the XM3. From 34,091 units in 2020 to 16,535 units in 2021, a decrease of 51.5%. Last year, Renault Samsung even unveiled a facelift model, with some improvements in the design to make up for the downturn in the XM3, but it didn't reverse the trend.
The SM6, which once threatened Sonata and the K5, sold only 3,198 units (-62.5% yo-y).
Renault Samsung is said to be working to launch the XM3 Hybrid to make up for this year's slump. At present, the XM3 is performing well in the European market and has been selected as the "Spanish Car of the Year 2022". In particular, the number of hybrid models with a combination of 1.6L gasoline engines and electric motors is close to half, and it is expected that there will be a good response after the introduction of South Korea.
[5] SsangYong Automobile
2021 is a particularly painful year for SsangYong Motors. Like other brands, directly affected by the pandemic and the semiconductor crisis, factories were shut down for a month due to suppliers refusing to supply parts. In addition, the sluggish operating results and acquisition negotiations have not yet been settled.
The only domestic pickup truck on the market, the Rest Sports, decreased by 35.9% year-on-year to 56,363 units, but it is still the representative model that leads SsangYong's performance. The difference from the second-place Tivoli is about 10,000 vehicles.
Sales of Tivoli (16,535 units, -29.5%) also declined, with Tivoli tied for third with renault Samsung XM3 (16,535 units) and second in the small SUV market after Seltos (4,090 units) and Trailblazer (18,286 units).
The problem is that the outlook for next year is not optimistic. Two new models, the first electric car, the Korando Emotion and the mid-size SUV J100 (codename), but Ssangyong is already in crisis. Whether it will be able to go into production is unclear.
[6] GM Korea
Last year, GM Korea sold 54,292 units, down 34.6 percent from the previous year and the lowest among South Korean automakers.
The Chevrolet Spark (17,975 units, -37.9 percent) fell to the bottom spot in the small car market, excluding Casper, which launched last September. Next, Maribal (3107 units, -52.6%) fell below 5,000 units.
The highly anticipated Trail Blazers (18,286 units, -12.5%) performed well. GM Korea's fatal blow was the failure to launch the Bolt EV Facelift and Bolt EUV. The Bolt EV and EUV were actually the only new cars launched last year, but their releases were completely canceled during the pre-contract period due to the recall of batteries due to a possible fire. While improved battery packs are being gradually supplied, the resumption of sales has been delayed until the first half of 2022 due to insufficient quantities being secured.