Hyundai Motor’s Accent second-biggest seller in Russia

Hyundai Motor’s subcompact Accent was the second-biggest selling car in Russia in the first six months of this year, according to an Association of European Businesses report.

More than 57,000 Accents were sold in the first half of the year under the name Solaris. In the top spot was Russia’s own AvtoVAZ, which sold more than 84,000 units of its own subcompact Lada Granta. AvtoVAZ is the largest automaker in the country.

Unlike Lada Granta, whose sales surged 87 percent compared to the same period last year, the Korean automaker’s subcompact vehicle sales were down 2 percent.

The third-most-popular vehicle was the Pride, a subcompact vehicle manufactured by Hyundai Motor’s affiliate Kia Motors. Pride is sold under the name New Rio in Russia. More than 44,000 Prides were sold in the six-month period, up 5 percent from a year ago.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors sold more than 184,000 vehicles combined from January through June in Russia. The Korean automakers have a 13.8 percent market share, an increase from their 12.7 percent share at the end of 2012.