Hyundai-Kia cars have risen to the best-selling imported vehicles in Germany, the powerhouse of the world‘s best cars.
According to the German Association of Automobile Manufacturers, South Korea’s Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group sold 155,673 units in the German market in 2012, followed by Renault of France (150,740 units) and Czech Skoda (147,197 units).
A year earlier, Renault placed first with 160,366 units, while Skoda ranked second with 142,611 units. Hyundai-Kia came in third with 128,931 units.
Germany is known for popular automobile brands such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi and Volkswagen. Other global automobile brands such as Ford and Opel from the United States have production lines in Germany.
Last year, the German automobile demand declined 2.9 percent, yet sales of Hyundai-Kia cars in the European country soared 20.7 percent, the highest growth among imported global brands.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com