Hyundai Motor's overseas sales have plunged to the lowest level in 17 years due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The South Korean automaker said on Wednesday that its combined vehicle sales at home and abroad in April stood at 159-thousand-97 units, down by 56-point-nine percent from the same month last year. 

The significant drop was mostly attributed to a decline in overseas sales, which plummeted by 70-point-four percent to 88-thousand-37 units sold, the lowest since the 57-thousand-732 recorded in June 2003. Domestic sales hit 71-thousand-42, marking only a zero-point-five percent decrease. 

Many of the company’s overseas production plants were suspended amid the global spread of the new coronavirus, while demand for cars also fell in many parts of the world due to travel restrictions put in place to contain outbreaks.