Renault Samsung sales surge 31.8 pct in Sept.

Renault Samsung Motors Co., the South Korean unit of French automaker Renault SA, said Tuesday that its sales in September surged 31.8 percent from a year earlier due to strong consumer demand for its vehicles. Renault Samsung said it sold 23,938 vehicles last month, compared with 18,162 units sold in the same period last year. Exports rose 60.7 percent to 12,723 units over the cited period, with local sales gaining 9.4 percent from a year earlier to 11,215 units. Overall sales in September, however, represented a 12.4 percent drop from the previous month\'s tally of 27,328 units. For the first nine months of this year, the carmaker sold 193,289 vehicles, a decrease of 0.1 percent from a year earlier. Exports surged 43.8 percent to 108,396 units in the January-September period, but this was offset by domestic sales that plunged 28.2 percent to 84,893 units.