Another Indian automobile company, Telco has been ranked 28th by the `Automotive News, 1998 market data book' on the basis of production and sales in the year 1997.

Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Company, which is about to launch its first vehicle `Santro' the small car in India later this year, stood 13th in the list of leading auto companies topped by the U S-based General Motors.

Quoting the magazine, Hyundai claimed in a statement here today that it topped the Korean auto market, edging out the nearest rival Daewoo Motor Company. Daewoo stood 18th in the list and second in Korea, according to the magazine's global list.

While MUL produced 3,49,230 vehicles and sold 3,46,159 during 1997, Telco, the only other Indian company to figure in the list, manufactured 1,83,982 vehicles and clocked a worldwide sales of 1,81,328 during thesame year.

The worldwide sales figures by the magazine for 1997 stood at 53,404,834 vehicles that included passenger cars, light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles. Three Japanese companies made it to the first ten in the group with Toyota Motor Corporation being ranked third and Nissan Motor Corporation seventh.