Winners & Losers (May 6)

Winner Ssangyong Motor

, the Korean unit of Mahindra and Mahindra, a Mumbai-based carmaker, announced Thursday its April sales were the highest in seven years.

The carmakers sold 12,607 cars in April, a 25.9 percent increase from a year earlier.

The company said the improved performance was thanks to the strong sales of its Korando sports utility vehicle series at home and abroad. Ssangyong’s domestic sales amounted to 5,115 vehicles and exports reached 7,492 in April, up 27.7 percent and 24.7 percent, respectively.

“Achieving robust monthly sales in April, despite the prolonged global recession, was very meaningful,” Ssangyong Motor CEO Lee Yoo-il said. “We will make utmost efforts to normalize the business by expanding sales with new models.”

Loser Doosan Infracore

, a leading Korean construction equipment producer, reported a 76.9 billion won ($6.98 million) net loss in the first quarter, mainly due to the global economic recession.

The company’s operating income plunged to 57.2 billion won, down 69 percent from the same period a year earlier. Its sales reached 1.79 trillion won in the same period, down 18.3 percent.

An official at Doosan Infracore said the sluggish global economy was the main culprit behind weak demand for construction equipment worldwide, especially in China.

Shares of Doosan Infracore closed at 12,650 won on the Seoul bourse Thursday, down 3.07 percent from the previous session.