Seoul, July 1 (IANS) Hyundai Motor, South Korea's biggest carmaker, said on Tuesday its sales gained 1.5 per cent in June from a year earlier, thanks to increased demand both at home and abroad.

Hyundai sold 358,891 vehicles last month, up from 353,566 units a year earlier, the company said in a press release.

Domestic sales rose 3.8 percent from 59,804 to 62,064 units, while overseas sales gained 1 percent to 358,891 from 353,566, reports Yonhap news agency.

"Sales increased both domestically and overseas due to the expanded sales of various models," a company official said, adding, "We will continue to maintain sales momentum by launching competitive new vehicles in the future."

From January to June, cumulative sales edged up 0.1 percent to 2,066,425 vehicles from 2,063,844 in the same period last year.

Domestic sales rose 2.7 percent to 354,900 units from 354,704, while overseas sales fell 0.4 percent to 1,711,525 from 1,718,140.

Meanwhile, Kia said its sales edged up 0.2 percent in June from a year earlier, while its first-half sales hit an all-time high on steady overseas demand for sport utility vehicles (SUVs).

Kia, a smaller affiliate of local industry leader Hyundai Motor Co., sold 269,652 vehicles in June, slightly up from 269,201 units a year ago, the company said.

Domestic sales rose 4.5 percent on-year to 46,003 units last month, while overseas sales retreated 0.8 percent to 222,997.

In the January-June period, cumulative sales rose 2 percent to 1,587,161 units from 1,555,697 a year earlier, marking Kia's highest-ever six-month performance. The figure surpassed the previous record of 1,576,016 units in the first half of 2023.

The Sportage compact SUV was the top-selling model in the six-month period, with 283,512 units sold globally, followed by the subcompact Seltos at 151,049 units and the mid-sized Sorento at 137,461 units.

--IANS

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