Seoul, Nov 3 : Renault Korea Motors, the South Korean unit of Renault S.A., said its sales surged 116.8 per cent last month from a year earlier on the popularity of its hybrid models.

Renault Korea sold a combined 12,456 vehicles in October, up from 5,745 units a year earlier thanks to the robust performance of its hybrid models, the company said in a statement.

Domestic sales more than quadrupled to 6,395 units from 1,451 during the same period, while exports jumped 41.2 percent on-year to 6,061 units from 4,294, reports Yonhap news agency.

The company said hybrid models accounted for more than 85 percent of its domestic sales for last month, noting that the hybrid model of its new midsized SUV line, Grand Koleos, was the most popular.

In the global market, the E-Tech hybrid model of the compact crossover SUV, Arkana, sold the most at 5,179 units.

From January to October, Renault's sales fell 17 percent to 77,112 autos from 92,946 units in the same period last year.

Domestic sales climbed 36.9 percent to 25,437 units in the first 10 months, but exports dropped 30.5 percent to 51,675 units.

Meanwhile, GM Korea, the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said its sales rose 8.1 percent last month from a year earlier, helped by solid exports.

GM Korea sold 50,021 vehicles in October, up from 46,269 units a year ago on increased shipments of the Trax Crossover and the Trailblazer SUV, the company said in a statement.

Domestic sales plunged 56 percent on-year to 1,974 units last month from 4,469, while exports climbed 15 percent to 48,047 from 41,800 over the cited period, it said.

From January to October, its sales rose 7.3 percent to 396,608 autos from 369,540 units in the year-ago period.

Domestic sales fell 37 percent to 21,202 in the first 10 months from 33,525 a year ago, while exports gained 12 percent to 375,406 from 336,015.

In a two-track strategy, GM Korea sells domestically produced and imported vehicles in Asia's fourth-biggest economy.

/IANS