Hyundai and affiliate Kia Motors have passed the 50m mark for oversea sales.

The one-time Ford Cortina assembler turned to its own designs with Mitsubishi drivetrains in the early 1970s and began exports with Ecuador in 1976. Kia, with initial help from Mazda mechanical and some car designs, began exports to Qatar in 1975.

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Accumulative car sales overseas passed 1m in 1987 and 10m in 2001.

Sales growth gained speed over time, passing 20min 2006, 30m in 2009 and 40m in 2011, according to the Maeil business paper.

Many cars are now built overseas in plants in the US, China, Russia and Brazil

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