South Korean carmakers' sales dip on strikes

SEOUL (Reuters) - Combined sales of South Korea's

automakers dipped 0.7 percent from a year ago, data from

companies showed on Wednesday, hit by partial strikes at Hyundai

Motor Co and weaker domestic demand amid credit crisis worries.

Hyundai and the country's four other auto

companies sold 387,272 vehicles in September, compared to 389,834

a year earlier and up 5.8 percent from 365,874 in August.

Local sales fell 14.7 percent to 77,635 vehicles in September

from 90,957 a year ago, while overseas sales rose 3.6 percent to

309,637 vehicles in September from 298,877 a year earlier.

Auto exports, which account for 10 percent of all South

Korean exports, fell an estimated 18.4 percent in value from a

year ago, data from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy showed

earlier.

Sales of Hyundai edged up 0.6 percent from a year ago, but

its local sales dropped 35.3 percent as unionized workers at the

country's top carmaker staged partial strikes for four times in

September costing the company 15,926 units in lost output.

Shares in Hyundai ended up 0.14 percent at 73,600 won with

its affiliate Kia falling 2.39 percent to 14,300 won, compared

with a 0.58 percent loss in the wider market.

Ssangyong Motor Co declined 1.39 percent to 2,485

won.

South Korean car makers' sales in September:

Total Change vs Overseas Change vs

sales yr ago sales yr ago

Hyundai Motor 190,227 +0.6 158,778 +13.1

Kia Motors 96,734 -12.2 72,412 -19.4

GM Daewoo 74,755 +9.8 64,169 +7.9

Renault Samsung 16,606 +27.8 8,829 +121.1

Ssangyong Motor 8,950 -6.5 5,449 +5.4

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Total 387,272 -0.7 309,637 +3.6

(Reporting by Cheon Jong-woo and Park Ju-min; Editing by Keiron

Henderson)