Ssangyong Motor Co., the local unit of Indian sport utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said Thursday that its sales grew 20.7 percent on-year in 2013 on the strength of consumer demand for new vehicle models.

The carmaker said domestic sales grew to 63,970 units with exports, including knockdown kits, reaching 81,679 vehicles for a combined figure of 145,649 cars sold throughout the year.

"The overall annual figure is the best achieved since 2002 and marks the fourth straight year of growth for the company," Ssangyong said in a press release after the annual tally was announced in a regulatory filing.

It credited the strong showing to the company's active steps to launch new vehicle models such as the New Korando C that satisfied consumer requirements.

"In the export market, strong demand from Russia and China fueled the 11.9 percent on-year growth that pushed sales past 80,000 for the first time in the company's history," it said.

The previous all-time export high was in 2011 when Ssangyong shipped out 74,350 cars.

In the domestic arena, sales grew an industry-leading 34.1 percent, with overall numbers being the highest reached since the 75,532 units sold in 2005.

It said that sales of the New Korando C grew 23 percent vis-a-vis 2012, while sale figures for both the Korando Turismo and Rexton W all did well last year. The New Korando C accounted for 73.9 percent of all sales for Ssangyong last year.

In December, the carmaker said domestic sales reached 6,584 units, with exports hitting 6,687 vehicles for a combined 13,271 units. This marks an 11.8 percent increase from the year before.

The carmaker, meanwhile, said that it plans to continue to expand its domestic market share and exports in the new year, with emphasis placed on good labor-management relations and a new marketing strategy to meet the needs of consumers. (Yonhap News)