Volvo Car Korea, the local importer and distributor for the Swedish automaker, on Friday said it plans to sell 8,000 units here next year riding on the popularity of XC60 midsize SUV, XC90 large SUV and soon-to-be-launched XC40 compact SUV.

“To invest in dealer networks, we need to sell about 10,000 units annually,” said Lee Yoon-mo, Volvo Car Korea CEO, during a lunch meeting with the media.

“Our target sales for next year is 8,000 units. We view it as a moderate goal considering recent growth.”

Launched in late September this year, the XC60 midsize SUV has posted sales of 2,400 units over the past two months. That is about five times the monthly sales of some 200 units Volvo had initially expected.

According to Volvo Car Korea, it sold 6,470 units between January and November, and looks set to reach the mark of 6,500 units set for 2017.

Due to higher-than-expected demand for XC60 SUVs, buyers has voiced growing complaints regarding late delivery.

The local importer said it is in talks with headquarters to bring in more units.

The XC40 is scheduled for release here in the first half of 2018.

“Korean drivers have surprised us with their interest in the XC60. We hope to continue the momentum with the XC40 targeted at female drivers,” Lee said.

Volvo is aiming to take on the compact SUV market, which is currently headed by SsangYong Motor’s Tivoli and Hyundai Motor’s Kona, launched July this year.

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)