Yonhap reported that South Korea's two leading automakers said that their auto sales in China are expected to surpass a combined 1 million units in China in 2010.

Hyundai Motor Co said its January to November 2010 period sales in China reached 637,686 units, up by 23.5% YoY.

Its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corporation said that it sold 301,358 vehicles in the same period, up by 44.6% YoY. The combined number of the automobiles sold by Hyundai and Kia in China during the 11 month period totaled 939,044 units.

The two companies are the only South Korean auto manufacturers that produce and sell within China.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on Thursday, South Korea held 7.54% of the Chinese auto market share during the January to November 2010 period, ranking fourth after China, Japan and the United States.

Hyundai and Kia have been aggressively pushing into China as the country has become the world's largest automobile market. The two companies sold more than 800,000 cars in China in 2009. They are seeking to sell more than 1.1 million vehicles there in 2011.

(Sourced from www.yonhapnews.co.kr)