South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. emerged as the top automobile seller in Viet Nam for the first time in 2015. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

SEOUL  — South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller cousin Kia Motors Corp. emerged as the top automobile seller in Viet Nam for the first time in 2015, beating global leader Toyota Motor Corp., industry data showed on Sunday.

Hyundai and Kia, the flagships of the world's No5 automaker Hyundai Motor Group, sold a combined 62,189 units in the Southeast Asian country last year for a market share of 29.8 percent.

Toyota posted sales of 50,285 vehicles, with its market share standing at 24.1 percent.

It marks the first time that Hyundai and Kia have seen their combined market share exceed that of the Japanese auto behemoth.

According to the data, Kia's sales in Viet Nam spiked 71.7 percent in 2015 from the previous year, propelled by the rising popularity of its small K3000 Bongo truck.

Kia's sales growth far outperformed the overall 55.3 percent gain in the Vietnamese automotive market.

Last year, shipments of the K3000 in Viet Nam came to 14,201 units, nearly double the 8,563 units sold a year earlier. The Bongo truck was the second best-selling vehicle.

Hyundai also saw its sales almost triple last year from two years earlier thanks to the stellar performance of its small hatchback Grand i10 that became the best-selling car in Viet Nam.

Sales of the small hatchback came to 15,873 units last year, up from 8,473 units a year earlier.

Viet Nam is one of the fastest growing auto markets among Southeast Asian countries. Auto sales soared 55.3 percent on-year in 2015 following a 43.4 percent jump a year earlier.

A Hyundai Motor Group official said the auto conglomerate will make a concerted effort to tap deeper into the Vietnamese market in the run up to its foray into other Southeast Asian countries. — YONHAP