Korea’s two biggest automakers Hyundai and Kia suffered slowing car sales on its home turf last month as their smaller rivals ― GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and Ssangyong Motor ― continued their recent sales momentum, data from companies showed Monday.

The largest company Hyundai Motor said it sold 388,539 vehicles globally last month, 0.9 percent growth from the year before.

In Korea alone, its car sales increased only 0.1 percent to 56,056 vehicles during the same period largely due to the market slowdown overall and reduced production, the company said.

The Avante compact was the best-selling model with 80,346 units, while the combined sales of the Sonata Hybrid and Avante Hybrid almost doubled to 1,385 from the previous month.

Globally, the company could make up a 28 percent reduction in domestic production with its overseas production in the United States, India and Russia as overseas output jumped 17.8 percent.

Hyundai’s affiliate Kia Motors suffered a 6.1 percent decline last month compared to a year ago. It sold 39,500 vehicles in Korea and 196,581 abroad.

The company said laborers’ refusal of weekend work, together with the slowing car market, affected negatively its March sales overall.

Meanwhile, the nation’s three smaller carmakers showed signs of recovery in domestic sales, largely driven by their recent new car launches.

GM Korea sold 78,203 vehicles globally in March, up 1.8 percent from a year ago and 33.5 percent from the previous month.

In Korea, new cars such as the Chevrolet Trax compact SUV played a key role in elevating its car sales to 12,968, a 30 percent increase from the previous month.

Renault Samsung Motors also continued its recent growing trend in domestic sales after the new launches of its flagship models such as the SM5 compact and SM5 midsize sedan.

The carmaker sold 4,769 vehicles in Korea and 7,740 abroad. Its car sales increased for three consecutive months.

The smallest, Ssangyong Motor, also saw a 15.2 percent growth in car sales from a year ago, with its Korando SUVs gaining positive reviews from local customers. It sold 4,924 units in Korea and 5,837 in overseas markets.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)