10 best selling cars in Korean market
They say that Koreans are patriots and most of all support domestic cars, but this is not entirely true. Whether a car sells well has nothing to do with patriotism or not. Hot selling models are related to several factors such as quality of product, fame of manufacturer, and reputation of users. This article will review top 10 best-selling models in Korean market in first half of 2016. Find out why their sales are so low.
Worst Selling #1: Chevrolet Camaro 7
First, explain what a Chevrolet Camaro is. After 1997 Asian financial crisis, General Motors acquired South Korean Daewoo Motors and changed its name to GM Daewoo. Later renamed again to Korea GM Chevrolet, from Daewoo to GM Daewoo and then to GM Chevrolet, it is as familiar to many Koreans as Hyundai Kia. Although Camaro is not made in South Korea, Koreans consider it as a domestic car.
The Camaro uses a sales method in which Korea receives orders and then delivers them from overseas. Many GM Chevrolet 4S stores in Korea don't even have cars. In addition, GM itself did not make any effort to promote this car, so sales were very small. The Ford Mustang, which competes with Camaro, sells an average of 40 vehicles a month. It seems that it's not that Koreans don't like American muscle cars, but that GM really didn't work very hard on Camaro.
The Camaro became famous with Transformers movie series. In addition, powerful American-style sports cars are very economical in terms of performance and price. I think that if Camaro is made in China, it will definitely be popular.
Second worst selling: Genesis Coolpad 65
The Genesis Coupe is a two-door sports car that was originally developed on same front-wheel drive platform as Elantra. Later, Genesis chassis was adopted, as well as front- and rear-wheel drive forms, becoming Korean marque's only sports car.
While Genesis Coolpad is not a supersport car, its foundation is not bad. Rear wheel drive design, 2.0t and 3.8L V6 engines, 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission. The 3.8-liter version of V6 accelerates to 100 kilometers in 5.9 seconds. As for price, price of 2.0T model in Korean market is equivalent to 159,200 to 190,900 yuan. The price of 3.8-liter version of V6 is between 203,700 and 215,700 yuan.
Genesis Coolpad strikes a good balance between looks, performance and price. Consumers don't need to spend a lot of money to buy cool sports cars with decent performance. But since sports car market itself is relatively small, Genesis Coolpad has been on market for many years and has not changed, so it has gradually lost its popularity.
3rd Worst Sales: Korean GM ALPHEON 99
Looks familiar? That's right, it's previous generation Buick LaCrosse. General Motors introduced it in South Korea under name ALPHEON. The reason why it does not sell well in Korean market is also obvious. First, Chinese market mid-term facelift has not been carried out in Korean market, so model is relatively old, which is largest. flaw. The second reason is lack of diesel engines, in Korean market, ALPHEON uses 2.4L and 3.0L gasoline engines. There are no fuel consumption advantages among same class models. You should know that most B+ class cars in Korea use diesel engines to achieve fuel economy goal. The third reason is gearbox: ALPHEON is equipped only with 6AT, while its competitor Kia K7 is already equipped with 8AT.
Fourth worst selling: Hyundai Veloster, 431 units
Phase One is a product full of personality. Too much personality made it attractive enough and also caused poor sales. First of all, it has a three-door design: one door on driver's side and two doors on co-pilot's side. I think such a unique design is very rare in world.
The second point is that its appearance and driving performance are too different. In appearance, Phase One is a very dynamic and stylish car. But in reality, its engine and gearbox are same as Elantra, and they are all a naturally aspirated 1.6L paired with 6MT or 6AT. The rear suspension of chassis is also a torsion bar independent beam. Therefore, while driving, it looks like an Elantra. Hyundai later recognized this as well and equipped Phase One with 1.6T and 7-speed DCT transmissions. The price is also more than 20,000 yuan higher than regular version.
562 Worst Selling: Ssangyong Chairman 562
Chairman Shuangyong's poor sales are well deserved. Ssangyong has only one sedan and that is D-Class Chairman car. The foundation of Ssangyong chairman is also good. After production of old Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan (w140) was discontinued, Mercedes-Benz transferred full set of car technologies to South Korean Ssangyong. Initially, chairman's engine, transmission, front and rear axles, and electronic systems were taken from Mercedes-Benz w140. this car is a Korean Mercedes-Benz.
The technology Ssangyong chairman is proud of is all-wheel drive. It was once only 4WD D-Class in Korean market. So it was before advent of Hyundai GENESIS EQ90 not so long ago. that there was no such thing as a Korean D car. Four-wheel drive embarrassment. Although chair is a Mercedes-Benz chassis, w140 platform is also a product of 1990s, and inline 6-cylinder naturally aspirated engine used by Ssangyong Chair has no technical advantages at all.
For SsangYong chairman, only advantage now is cost efficiency. The price in Korean market is equivalent to 321,500 to 537,500 yuan. Buying a D-class car with Mercedes-Benz pedigree at this price is still very cost-effective. .
Sixth place in sales: Chevrolet Aveo 676
The best-selling model in Korean car market is a small car, because price of this type of model is already close to price of a compact car, but space is not much more than that of a mini car. So not only Aveo, Hyundai Rena, which sell well in Chinese market, sell very well in local market as well.
There is another reason for poor sales of Aveo, which is that entire series uses 1.4T engine found on new Cruze. In fact, this little car doesn't need a 1.4-liter engine. A conventional 1.4 liter engine is enough. The price of an Aveo with a 1.4 ton engine is equivalent to 81,200 to 105,000 yuan. The starting price of Hyundai Elantra (Leading) 1.6GDI is equivalent to 81,900 yuan. Therefore, Aveo has no advantage in terms of price.
In fact, GM also knows that Aveo doesn't have to be equipped with a 1.4T engine. However, since Chevrolet has relatively few product lines in Korean market, Aveo, Chuangku, and Cruze use same transmission, which can significantly reduce production costs. Aiweiou has become a victim of product line.
Worst selling 769: Renault Samsung QM5 769
Renault Samsung QM5 is a domestic Koleos. This year, new Renault Koleos was presented at Beijing Auto Show. And it will be domestically produced in second half of year. Therefore, QM5 is also a car that has been on market for a long time. Moreover, current Koleos imported to China are also made in South Korea, not in France.
In addition to relatively old model, only one power configuration is also a weakness of QM5. The QM5 is equipped with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine matched with a CVT transmission and has only an all-wheel drive version. The price in Korean market is equivalent to 130,400 to 155,200 yuan. This price is in same price range as Hyundai Tucson and Kia KX5. But those two models have been replaced, so QM5 doesn't have a competitive edge.
Eighth worst selling: Hyundai i40, 891 units
Hyundai i40 is a very unfamiliar product for many people. Since birth of i40 is aimed at European market, it is a product of same period as 8th generation Sonata and can be seen as European version of Sonata. In addition to sedan, i40 also has a travel version, which is also only B-class travel version among Korean cars.
Therefore, i40 did not think much about promoting product, and corresponding powertrain is same as that of Sonata. Because product positioning is similar to Sonata, 9th generation evolution of Sonata is more popular in market. In Korean market, i40 has two types of power: 2.0L petrol and 1.7T diesel. The price range is equivalent to 145,000 to 181,600 yuan.
#9 Worst Selling: Hyundai i30 984
Hyundai i30 was once made in China, but sales were poor. When i30 was made in China, it matched Golf, Focus, sixth generation Tiida and other powerful products. Therefore, competitive advantage of i30 at that time was not so obvious, and 4AT was also very backward at that time. The current i30 has a completely new exterior design and an upgraded power configuration. It is equipped with 2.0L and 1.6T engines combined with a 6AT or 7DCT gearbox. The price range is equivalent to 115,100 to 144,100 yuan. The strength of product is good, but there is no domestic production.
i30 is a two-volume hatchback, which is initially perceived by Chinese consumers with difficulty. Korean consumers are also not very receptive to hatchbacks. And in this price range, you can already buy Elantra (Leading). So sales were bad.
10 worst sales: Hyundai ASLAN 1095 units
I first saw ASLAN at 2014 Busan International Auto Show in South Korea. At time, it was star model at center of Hyundai Motor stand. Suddenly, she became best-selling model in just two years. It can be said that Hyundai Motor took wrong step. ASLAN is a class B + car, positioned above Sonata, similar to Yazun, but slightly higher than Yazun.
In terms of appearance, ASLAN has no special features and uses a mature and stable style. The interior has to be quibbled over because design is pretty much same as Sonata 9, minus more advanced material. This was also one of reasons for ASLAN's poor sales.
In terms of product positioning, in Korean B+ market, two cars, Yazun and K7, have already occupied majority of market. ASLAN uses two engines, a 3.0L V6 and a 3.3L V6 with 6AT. The price in South Korea is equivalent to 220,300 to 260,400 yuan, which is slightly higher than Yazun and K7. But version of K7 with a 3.3-liter V6 is already equipped with 8AT. Consequently, profitability of ASLAN is low.
In fact, no matter what country you're in, there are models that don't sell well. Maybe because manufacturer's advertising is not in place, maybe because model has been on market for a long time, maybe because strength of competing models is too great. In short, success of model ultimately depends on sales. And consumers have a steelyard in their hearts. Therefore, if a car model wants to sell well, the most important thing is to know what consumers think.
