Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp., the top two carmakers in South Korea's auto market, saw their combined market share at home shrink to below 70 percent through November, data showed Friday, amid the rising popularity of imported cars among buyers here. 

During the first 11 months of this year, cumulative sales of the two flagship firms of Hyundai Motor Group in the country accounted for 69.4 percent of the entire domestic market, with Hyundai taking up 41.7 percent, according to industry data.

With the two firms' monthly domestic market share having been stuck below the 70-percent mark since June this year, industry watchers say their combined annual market share in their home turf may further retreat this year. 

The annual market sharae of the two on the domestic front has also been trending lower, from 76.8 percent in 2009 to 74.6 percent in 2012 and 71.4 percent last year. 

The falling numbers come as imported cars, many of them in the high-end market category, have gradually been gaining a greater foothold in the South Korean auto market. Cumulative sales of imported cars here in the January-November period jumped 24.4 percent on-year to 179,239 units. 

Moreover, industry watchers say the partial strikes by Kia's unionized workers in recent months may also have dragged down the figures, with the company's domestic output in October plunging 24.2 percent.

Hyundai and Kia officials still maintained a positive outlook, and said they are pushing to reach their overall target sales figure for 2014 with the help of overseas sales.

"Employees at the two firms are working overtime and are beefing up marketing strategies in December in order to achieve our annual sales target of 8 million units," a company official said. 

Through November this year, the two carmakers reported selling a total of 7,245,612 vehicles at home and abroad, just 754,388 units short of their goal. Only three other auto companies in the world have hit the 8-million annual sales figure so far. (Yonhap)