SEOUL: Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker, said Tuesday that global sales of its Avante compact hit the 10 million mark this month, the first locally made vehicle to reach the vaunted number.
The Avante, first marketed in October 1990, had sold 10,005,032 units as of Monday, the carmaker said. It said the total translates into average annual sales of 420,000 vehicles, or roughly 1,100 being sold every day around the world, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) News Agency.
"The car, now in its fifth-generation form, was a trendsetter in the domestic automotive industry when it was launched, being the first compact car made in the country," Hyundai said.
It said of all cars sold, local sales stand at some 2.6 million, with the remaining 7.4 million being sold in 177 countries.
Besides setting a local record, the Avante, called the Elantra in markets such as the United States, is only one of about a dozen car nameplates to have sold more than 10 million.
The South Korean carmaker, part of the world's No. 5 automotive conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group, said of all Avantes built, 6.4 million were made in South Korea, with the rest being manufactured in the US, China and India.
The car with an engine displacement ranging from 1.5 liters to 2.0L was tapped as the North American Car of the Year in 2012.
It also won awards and laurels in Canada and South Africa.
In terms of sales, the first generation cars sold 948,263 units, with numbers peaking at 2,827,888 for the third generation model.
Sales of its latest iteration have hit 2,470,795 units.
Hyundai Motor is expected to unveil the next model of the car in the second half of 2015. (QNA)
