Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group replaces Ford as the fourth largest car manufacturer in the world!
According to the latest report from Automotive News Data Centre, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has became the fourth largest automaker in the world! Based on new-vehicle sales figures from the first half of the 2009, Hyundai and Kia together sold 8.000 more cars than Ford, whose sales have dipped by more than 30 percent so far this year.
Toyota retained the crown of the world’s largest automaker, but recent financial recession has hit it’s sales hard and the automaker experienced a 26 percent drop in new car sales. Troubled US giant, General Motors, sits in the in second spot, but it has experienced a similar first-half sales fall as Toyota.
GM is closely followed by VW in third position. VW’s sales have decreased slightly compared to last year’s figures, however, Germany’s largest automaker managed to narrowed the gap between itself and Toyota @ No.1 position to less than 500.000 units from last year’s 1.500.000 units.
The battle for the first position is expected to intensify in the second half of the year, according to automotive experts, when VW could overtake both of its main rivals and become the No.1 automaker in the world.
The battle for fourth spot, between Hyundai-Kia and Ford is expected to be tight as well through the rest of the year. At the moment, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group leads Ford by only about 8.000 units. Results for all of last year saw Hyundai-Kia lagging behind Ford by around 1 million units, but by producing the right product for the right times, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group managed to take fourth place much quicker than it had been predicted.
Battle for fourth spot will continue in the second half, when both automakers (Ford and Hyundai-Kia) plan to launch a slew of new models. Ford plans to launch new Fiesta sub-compact, while Kia will market new Sorento and Koup in the States. According to latest reports from South Korea, Kia also plans to lift production of existing models by almost 100.000 vehicles and boost its marketing activities this year. [Source: Kia]
UPDATE: Feel free to take a look at our latest poll in the sidebar of the blog and let us know when you think Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group will become the third largest car manufacturer in the world.
August 12th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
AWESOME!!! Let’s hope we can keep it going through the second half.
Cheers,
SOUL4U
August 12th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
woohoo!
this is awesome news!
Way to go!
August 12th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
At the rate they are going, they ought to be number one by 2015! I have no doubt that someday, Hyundai-Kia will be number one. Toyota will just keep losing steam. GM just continues to lose sales daily. By 2011, I predict that number one will be Volkswagen, and number two Hyundai-Kia.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
I don’t like any of the poll choices. I don’t want to say “Never,” but I don’t think it’ll happen by 2015 either. And how come Hyundai-Kia don’t have 2008 numbers and percentage change listed like all the other companies?
August 12th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
A few years ago, I read a report Hyundai-Kia wants to become the No5 automaker by 2010 and then they plan to become a No3 in the world, I don’t remember the timeline but I think it was either a 2015 or 2020. It seems like they’ll achieve their goals even faster, but It’s gonna be a tough game. GM and Ford will be back again and so will be toyota.
We shall see, but it will be interesting!
August 12th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
global recession makes this very unpredictable and interesting at the same time!!!
August 12th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Now doesn’t Hyundai/Kia have worst reputations than Nissan? Anyway, I would carfully keep an eye on GM and Ford. That Chevy Volt may not be the best looking car but I found out it’s mpg is 230 per gallon. The downside to that is the Volt has to be plugged in every night meaning your light bill could go up making up for not going to the gas station as offten. Ford seems to have made stylish cars and good hybrids like the new Taurus. And at the same time, GM and Ford should be watching Hyundai/Kia. When Hyundai/Kia brung V8s to their lineup, Ford and GM should have already opended their eyes (even Toyota and Honda). If they don’t the Fuelcell Borrego will force them to open up their eyes. Because while the next explorer is going crossover, the Kia Borrego could have an advantage if the fuelcell bof Borrego gets way higher mpg than the next Explorer.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
It is like a Nascar race (just using it as a reference, actually watching it bores the crap out of me), anyone can win, but at the same time, any of the leaders can crash and burn. Toyota has been much less than competitive lately. GM needs to do something about their interiors, they suck!! The materials are actually really good, but there are always so many buttons, and the interiors are poorly designed for ergonomics. I hate their SUV steering wheels the most! They feel like there is nothing to grab onto! GM will crash yet again.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Did you guys hear that Kia’s profits have quadrupled? Himi, put up a story about it on the blog, could ya?
August 12th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
What I don’t understand about GM is why have two luxury brands Caddilac and Buick conflicting with each other? I like Buick’s better. Uglylacks are soooo ugly.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
What I don’t understand about GM is why have four different branded CUVs competing with each other, when they are all in about the same price range. Outlook, Acadia, Enclave, Traverse. I like The Acadia the most, Enclave second, Outlook is unforgivably ugly in the front, and the ass of the Traverse is just awful. Why did GM spend so much money to produce four different vehicles that are exactly the same? To be competitive, GM needs to sell off Cadillac, and make GMC the upscale trim package for Chevys (which it basically is already), kill off some dealerships, and sell all of their vehicle lines at one dealership. GM is run by the most well paid idiots in the world.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Wow! Hyundai/Kia achieved No.4, outdoing their own goal. I do hope to see them overtake Toyota one day. Get some good “green” vehicles going, Kia.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Oh, and I do believe GM plans to make the Cadillac version of the Acadia, called the FTX.
August 12th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
i think they are getting really desperate and loosing their cool. they cant think and just make copies of any random model thats doing well.
August 13th, 2009 at 3:16 am
Yeah No.4, (The Irony of that as the Soul=No.4) and thats without our outstanding next generation products in development for American sale. The Accent and Rio are for the first time ever in the US are outselling the most Popular car in its class for 6 years in a row=the Chevrolet Aveo. Only 3 years ago, the Aveo sold more than both cars and the Toyota Yaris combined.
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Just think, the Next Gen Accent and Rio in just 10 short Months will make the current gen models look like a joke. I mean Forte sales havent even picked up yet, due to the remaining Spectra Inventory. That Spotage and that Tucson are winners from day one. The KOUP is not even out yet. These sales are just the beginning.
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I just think Hyundai/KIA should follow John Krafciks plans. Dont try to become number one, just have the best fuel economy, the best deisgns, the best features for price, the Best quality, and undisputed reliablity, and the sales statistics will speak for itself.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I voted “never”… Not because I think it will never be, but because I think 2015 is to short a time frame…
Kia builds VERY nice/good cars, but they still have a very long way to go. The fuell efficiency and CO2 emissions are below standards, and the “fit and finish” could be better (my wife just got a new Audi A3 Convertible TDi: the fit and finish is of a much higher standard and even with the top down the fuell consumption is more than a full liter lower/100Km compared to the cee’d 1.6 CRDI).
Furthermore I expect more mergers/acquisitions in the automotive industry, so the groups will be larger with higher sales volumes.
And finally I wouldn’t like Kia to become n°3 (let alone n°1), to do so they have to sell a lot more vehicles meaning these would have to appeal to more people, meaning they would have to be more mainstream and consequently… boring.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
But Renault-Nissan is a group as much as Hyundai-Kia. With 2.6 million cars sold in H1, they are on the fourth place, not HK.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Dear Sir,
last week i bought a new Kia Opirous premium 2009, which I was told that Kia Opirous permium has five years Guaranty & Warranty but Atlas Khodro in Iran does respect the guranty & warranty and after sales Services.
I guest that damage the reputation of Kia motors in Iran.
The VIN no. is KRLA091VML2172560, Frame No. KNALD225395172560, Engine No. G6DA8S418192.
1- Please ask Atlas Khodro to respect the Guaranty & warranty.
2- Where can i get a repair manual of KIA Opirous Permium?
Thanks & best regards,
Dr. Chaharsoughi,
IRAN
August 13th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
How come you said something about Renault but you didn’t say nothing about Audi/VW?
August 13th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I bet if VW was below Hyundai/Kia you whould have said but VW is a groupw with Audi like Hyundai-Kia. But you didn’t.
August 13th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Bornloser….Hyundai has already taken up the “boring” side. About the only thing more boring than a Hyundai is a Toyota or Honda.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:06 am
jtz,
Volkswagen’s sales already include Audi, SEAT, Skoda, and the niche products, like Bentley. The others aren’t listed because the official name is Volkswagen Group.
alex,
Your question would better be directed to Automotive News. But a good reason might be that there’s no such company as Renault-Nissan. They are distinct companies with shared ownership and distinct brands. They only will say Renault Nissan Alliance. They do not have the kind of integration that Hyundai-Kia have. They also don’t have the level of powertrain and platform sharing that HKAG have. They only time they use the word group is in lower-case when they try to claim to be the fourth largest automaker in the world. They can’t have it both ways. They either are a unified group or just an alliance. And except when it comes time to rank sales, they only say alliance.
August 14th, 2009 at 3:07 am
Greg, you know Hyundai is going for that I want to take Chrysler sales. Compare all of the cars Sonata and up, they are much better in terms of luxury than any Chrysler already. Hyundai just needs to set its sights on MINI in those small cars.
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Bornloser, KIA has a long way to go to be Audi if they want to go that way. Audi is a Luxury car, KIA is a Value Mazda.
August 14th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
well done lads! lets all make kia grow
August 14th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
@bornloser:
“the fuell consumption is more than a full liter lower/100Km compared to the cee’d 1.6 CRDI”. Where are you getting that information from? According to the Kia UK site, the 1.6 VGT HO gets 14.7l/100Km. The Audi UK rates the A3 1.6 TDI at 4.3l/100Km. That’s a difference of .4l, not 1l as you claims. The Kia also has 8 more HP and 5 more n/m of torque, according the the mfg.’s websites. How is that below standards? BTW, the VW Polo 1.6 TDI 90PS, a more valid comparison, gets the same fuel economy as the Audi, but is down 23hp on the Kia and 25n/m of torque.
August 14th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Oops. Above should say 4.7l/100Km for the Kia for the mileage.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:03 am
I’ll take the margarita-tangy sporty quality of the Forte/Koup over the champagne sporty tightness of the A4 and TT any day. I like cheaper, but with Kia and really with fave Mitsubishi one needn’t sacrifice quality for the lower price. Let’s just say if you don’t like Mitsu/Kia interiors I find them fine. I just love the cool body style of the Lancer GTS/Ralliart/EVO, it’s great powertrain(bulletproof Mitsu engines. tranny’s)and the sharp coolness of the Forte sedan and Koup from Kia. I have a lot of confidence in Kia powertrains and overall build quality, too. May these two carmakers prosper and rise up above the boredom of the overly hideous world of mainstream car manufacturing. Bleh!!
August 15th, 2009 at 3:30 am
I think a person is wiser buying a Lancer, Mazda 3, Forte and avoiding the bore of cars you see every 3 seconds. After one month in my car, the Forte still turns heads. When the every 3 second cars get redesigned again, after one week, they’ll stop turning heads. So in a way I’m glad more people want a Toyota or Honda even if the Forte did win car of the month. Civic`s rivals are really sweet cars.
August 15th, 2009 at 3:50 am
Remember that Mitsu’s engines are a variation of Hyundai-Kia’s, just like chrysler. The difference: chrysler’s world engines get worse power and gas mileage, and are attached to worthless transmissions. Chrysler transmissions are the most worthless in the industry.
August 15th, 2009 at 5:26 am
Thanks Derrick for that nice information man.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:59 am
Keep in mind that though Mitsu participated with Hyundai and Chrysler in the 4-cyl “world” engine project, their engineering of their own engines and whichever tranny provider they buy from is solid and has a good reputation. They race-test new ideas and implement them in to their production models wherever applicable. The Chinese that can’t make their own engines yet but want to produce their own cars buy engines from Mitsubishi quite a bit.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:54 am
@ Derrick G…
Where I get the info? I happen to own both… (is that good enough for you?)
August 18th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
@Bornloser:
Not really. A dataset of 2 cars doesn’t really make a good comparison, especially if there are 2 seperate drivers. And I still don’t get the comparison to Audi. Audi doesn’t outsell Kia.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:01 am
In Europe Audi sells about three times as much as Kia, but that was not my point… In terms of co2 emissions Kia still has a very long way to go (especially with the o so popular diesel engines). The A3 1.6 TDI’s CO2 emissions are lower than the Picanto’s!
And anyway as always sales statistics are like bikini’s: they give you a good idea, but you don’t get the see the real stuf…
August 19th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
And some feel that Nissan/Renault should hold the No.4 spot out of a technicality on the various Company’s working agreements? Nope, it’s HyunKia’s spot completely.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:16 am
VW sales numbers include audi sales in this list.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:18 am
That’s so major lame-o that VW is in the No.3 spot. What the? Bad reliability reputation and all?
August 28th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Remember that VW includes Audi, Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini, SEAT and Skoda. They also own Scania, the commercial vehicle brand that’s very popular in Europe. Scania is not included in these numbers.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Ahhhh….so. That helps explain it. If VW’s theirself are so nasty in build, VW figures they’ll swallow up some minor makes and push their sales all over Europe to help their main brand. The old “we’ll kill ‘em with sheer numbers” game. Sorry, I still can’t stand VW and anything about them. In fact, VW and Toyota are my most hated carmakers.I don’t like mundane in large numbers nor do I appreciate crappy build quality or bad reliability. They’re noth gonna need to change big-time for me to even start to repsect either of them.