[THE INVESTOR] Sales of Renault Samsung Motors dropped significantly from a year earlier last month due to a sharp cut in exports caused by a change of a vehicle model, the company said on Oct. 4.

In September, the company sold 13,557 cars globally, down 38.8 percent from the same month last year.

Domestic sales spiked 39.6 percent on-year to 9,222 units, helped by its recently launched midsized sedan, the SM6, and the new QM6 crossover SUV.

Outbound shipments, on the other hand, tumbled 72.1 percent on-year to 4,335 vehicles as the launch of the revamped Nissan Rogue SUV produced here caused a 75.1 percent plunge in outbound shipments.

“September exports came to 4,335 units as the output of the Nissan Rogue had been temporarily reduced due to a model year change. Last month, a total of 3,127 Nissan Rogue vehicles were shipped overseas, but the company expects to ship about 10,000 units of the 2017 Nissan Rogue from this month, recovering its previous level of exports,” the company said in a press release.

In the January-September period, the company sold a total of 171,211 vehicles globally, up 5.2 percent from the same period last year.

Domestic sales jumped 25.4 percent on-year to 71,204 cars over the cited period, while exports dropped 5.6 percent to 100,007 vehicles.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)