SEOUL, KOREA - The number of finished cars produced in the first quarter of this year totaled 1,154,853 units, up 3.7 percent from a year ago, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. During the January-March period of this year, the domestic demand grew 4.3 percent year on year to 337,587 units, while exports gained 1.1 percent to 788,957 units.
When it comes to this year, the production of finished cars marked a sharp increase in March. Last month’s finished car production reached 425,510 units, up 16.4 percent from a year before. Thanks to the economic recovery and the new car effect, the domestic demand and exports also increased 2.9 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively.
In the domestic market, Hyundai’s Grandeur was the best-selling model with 23,633 units in the first quarter. The most exported model for the January-March period of this year was the Avante which was exported 71,510 units.