South Korea's biggest automaking group, which faced a consumer backlash in China last year over tensions between the two countries, forecast a slowdown in sales in 2018 as political risks dent demand for its vehicles in the world's major markets. Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Tuesday their combined sales in 2017 dropped 7% to 7.25 million units, the least in five years and a million short of its record target. Citing stalling global economic growth, rising protectionism and dangers posed by geopolitics as threats, the companies set a goal to sell 7.55 million vehicles this year. With Ford Motor Co. on its heels, Hyundai Motor group is fighting to maintain its rank as the world's fifth-biggest automaker after underperforming rivals in the U.S., where a booming demand for sport utility vehicles exposed the Korean maker's dearth of models.