South Korea's top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. emerged as the No. 1 import auto brand in Mexico in 2015, data showed Wednesday, beating other rivals less than two years after its debut in the country.

Hyundai Motor sold 26,251 automobiles in Mexico last year, rising as the leading foreign brand without localized production facilities for the first time, industry data showed. The South Korean carmaker tapped the Mexican market in May 2014. 



French auto firm Renault S.A. and Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp., which ranked first and second in terms of sales among import brands in 2014, managed to sell 24,320 units and 12,914 units, respectively, last year.

Hyundai Motor also ranked ninth among all auto brands under operations in Mexico, making the top 10 list.

Industry watchers said Hyundai Motor is expected to continue its robust performance in Mexico throughout this year, as the company set a monthly sales record of 2,676 units in December 2015.

Hyundai's smaller sister Kia Motors Corp., which tapped into the Mexican market in July last year, sold 11,021 units in 2015, taking the fifth spot among import brands and hovering above German carmaker Mercedes-Benz's 10,795 units.

Kia Motors plans to complete the construction of its new plant during the first half of 2016. Kia Motors started the construction of a plant in 2014 with an annual capacity of 300,000 units in Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico. (Yonhap)