Sales of cars made by South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. surged 16.6 percent on-year in the first half of 2012 in Britain, due to the popularity of new models, company sources Sunday.

Sources said data by the U.K.’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, showed combined sales reaching 68,646 units in the six-month period, with the two companies’ market share hitting 6.5 percent for a gain of 0.8 percentage point from the year before.

Hyundai and Kia are flagship companies of Hyundai Motor Group, the world’s fifth largest automotive conglomerate.

“The increase can be attributed to strong demand for Hyundai’s i30 and Kia’s Cee’d small family hatchbacks that were released in March and May, respectively,” a spokesperson for the group said.

He added that beefed-up marketing efforts also raised consumer perception of the two brands which bolstered sales.

Sales of Hyundai vehicles jumped 11.4 percent to 35,168 units, with Kia sales up 22.7 percent to 33,478.

The motor group said the gains are noteworthy because Britain’s car market grew a modest 2.7 percent from January through June, to a little over 1.05 million vehicles. It said companies such as Ford Motor Co., the No. 1 car manufacturer on the British Isles, grew 4.1 percent, while third-ranked Volkswagen AG pulled off just 1.6 percent growth. Vauxhall Motors, a British carmaker owned by General Motors, reported a 9 percent drop in sales in the first half, compared with a year ago. 

(Yonhap News)