Hyundai, Kia log brisk sales in Russia in September

South Korean carmakers Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. enjoyed brisk sales in Russia last month, despite a 5 percent drop in new car sales there, data showed Monday. Hyundai sold 17,171 units in Russia in September, up 13 percent from a year ago. Sales of Kia increased 9 percent on-year to 18,004 vehicles, according to the data by the Moscow-based Association of European Businesses (AEB). For the first nine months of the year, Hyundai sold 135,609 units in the Russian market, up 3 percent from a year earlier, with Kia's sales gaining 4 percent to 146,986 units, according to the association. Ssangyong Motor, the Korean unit of Indian sport utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., sold 3,288 units in Russia in September, up 21 percent from a year ago. The brisk sales of South Korean cars came as new car and light commercial vehicle sales in Russia dipped by 5 percent on-year to 246,895 units, according to the association. "Total market momentum is still lacking sufficient strength necessary to achieve a stable level, as a precondition for moderate growth in the nearer future," Joerg Schreiber, chairman of the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee, said in a statement. Meanwhile, Hyundai's subcompact Accent became the second best-selling car in Russia in September. Also in the cited period, Hyundai sold 10,676 units of the Accent, called the Solaris in the Russian market, up 17 percent from a year earlier, according to the association. The Accent is followed by the Pride, a subcompact built by Kia. Kia sold 8,632 units of the Pride, called the New Rio in the Russian market, in September, up 9 percent from a year ago, according to the data. Hyundai and Kia are the two flagship units of Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest carmaker