wdown in December - a new one-year record for the Korean manufacturer. With domestic sales of 646,670 and export sales of 886,485 for the year, the company hit a total of 1,533,155 vehicles according to figures released at the end of December 2000 - that was an increase of 20 per cent over the 1999 total of 1,271,515 vehicles. Sales at both home and abroad improved over 1999 figures. The domestic market was up 13.3 per cent over the 1999 total of 570,554 and exports increased by a dramatic 26.5 per cent over the previous record figure of 700,961. December slowdown The 42,005 vehicles sold in Korea during December showed a fall of 18 per cent against the 1999 figure of 51,242 but overseas demand continued to increase and in December HMC recorded 80,186 exports compared to 62,055 last year - a 29 per cent increase. The best selling vehicle continued to be the Sonata with total year sales of 112,512 - down 8.2 per cent compared to 1999 when the new model recorded its first full-year sales figures. The new Elantra sold a total of 57,037 in 2000 - its introduction year - and HMC`s other all-new model, the Santa Fe recorded total sales of 20,399 despite being launched on the domestic market mid year and on export markets during the last quarter. The new Accent in some markets also showed strong growth with sales of 54,049 up by 37 per cent from the previous year. The Trajet mini-van - introduced to export markets this year - recorded a total sales figure of 37,770 and the Galloper SUV also showed a healthy increase in sales, thanks to exports, of 7.8 per cent with 28,500 sold during 2000 compared to 26,430 in 1999. Truck and bus sales up HMC also saw its truck and bus sales increase during 2000. Total bus sales reached 97,884 compared to 93,449 in 1999 - an increase of 4.7 per cent. Truck sales were up by 8.1 per cent with a total of 122,511 recorded for the year compared to 113,329 in 1999. The new H-1 truck recorded sales of 11,550 in its debut year and both mid and large sized trucks saw healthy increases. Mid-sized truck sales were up by 27 per cent from 17,427 to 22,159 and large trucks increased by 43 per cent from 2,699 to 3,869. The overall figure also represented a new record in terms of production. The previous best year was in 1996 - before the Asian economic crisis - when HMC produced 1.357 million units.
