GM Korea sales dip 1 pct in July

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., said Monday that its sales in July dipped 1 percent from a year earlier on weak export demand. GM Korea sold 66,553 vehicles last month, compared with 67,230 units a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales surged 26.1 percent on-year to 13,003 units, but exports fell 5.9 percent to 53,550 units. Last month's sales come after the carmaker reported the best-ever monthly sales of 79,557 units in June. The carmaker said sales of its Chevrolet Spark small-sized car, Orlando multi-purpose vehicle and Cruze compact fueled local demand. In the first seven months of the year, sales moved up 9.3 percent on-year to 480,081 units. Domestic sales rose 20.5 percent to 82,066 units in the January-July period, and exports gained 7.3 percent to 398,015 vehicles, the company said.