With the popularity of larger, spacious cars globally, South Korea saw sales of recreational vehicles hit 300,000 units in the first half of the year.

According to five major carmakers here -- Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, SsangYong Motors, Renault Samsung and General Motors -- a total of 303,315 RVs were sold here from January to June. This accounted for 48.4 percent of total sales of cars here, an increase of about 3 percentage points from the same period the previous year.  

RVs refer to large-sized vehicles with spacious interiors and trunks, suitable for both commuting and traveling. Hyundai Motor’s Starex and Santa Fe and Kia Motors’ Carnival and Sorento are representative RV models here.

Meanwhile, most SUV models run on four-wheel drive, suitable for driving off-road or enduring snow and rain.

In particular, Kia Motors and SsangYong Motors showed strong RV sales in the first half of the year.

Kia sold 102,615 RVs, which accounted for 48.7 percent of its total sales from January to June. Its steady-selling minivan model Carnival led sales with 33,836 units.

Ssangyong Motors sold 55,950 RVs, including the Rexton Sports (21,621 units) and Tivoli (20,275 units), in the same period.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)