Seoul: Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automobile manufacturer, announced a 5.1 percent decrease in its February sales compared to the previous year, attributing the decline to fewer working days caused by the Lunar New Year holiday. The company reported sales of 306,528 vehicles last month, a drop from 322,852 units sold in the same period last year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, domestic sales experienced a significant downturn of 17.8 percent year-on-year, totaling 47,008 units. Meanwhile, overseas sales saw a slight decrease of 2.3 percent, with 259,520 units sold. A company official explained that the reduced number of working days during the Lunar New Year holiday contributed to the decline in monthly sales.

In response to the sales dip, Hyundai Motor has announced plans to bolster its lineup with a greater proportion of environmentally friendly vehicles, focusing particularly on gasoline hybrid models. From January to February, the company recorded a 3 percent decline in overall sales, with 615,088 units sold compared to 633,814 units in the same period last year.

Domestic sales during this two-month span dropped by 5.9 percent, reaching 97,216 units from 103,270, while overseas sales slightly decreased by 2.4 percent to 517,872 units from 530,544.