"Car demand will recover... but concerns over semiconductor supply shortages remain"
Expansion of RV and new car sales... focusing efforts on EV6 launch
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] Kia posted strong performance in the first quarter, driven by robust sales of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and other factors.
On the 22nd, Kia announced that it recorded consolidated sales of 16.5817 trillion KRW and operating profit of 1.0763 trillion KRW in the first quarter. This represents an increase of approximately 13.8% in sales and 142.2% in operating profit compared to the same period last year. The operating profit margin was 6.5%.
Global market sales volume in the first quarter reached 689,990 units on a wholesale basis, up 6.4% year-on-year. By market, domestic sales increased by 11.4% to 130,075 units. Despite some production disruptions due to vehicle semiconductors, strong sales of key new models such as Sorento, Carnival, and K5, along with the base effect from the previous year, resulted in double-digit sales growth.
Overseas sales rose 5.3% to 559,915 units. The overseas market was led by strong demand recovery in multiple regions, with Sonet showing the highest growth rate in India due to the new model effect. However, sales in the North American and Central and South American regions slightly declined due to shipment disruptions and inventory shortages of Seltos caused by the suspension of operations at the Gwangju plant.
In particular, the overall upward trend was led by RVs. The RV sales ratio rose by 6.4 percentage points year-on-year to 59.7%, marking an all-time high. Kia explained, "The expansion of the RV sales ratio played a decisive role in profitability improvement."
"Car demand will recover... but concerns over semiconductor supply shortages remain"
Kia expects global automobile demand to somewhat recover this year as the impact of COVID-19 eases. However, concerns remain regarding the resurgence of COVID-19 in some markets and the global shortage of vehicle semiconductors.
In particular, Kia anticipates May to be the peak of the semiconductor supply shortage. Ju Woo-jung, Vice President and Head of Kia’s Finance Division, said during a conference call, "We see May as the most difficult period, a bottleneck. We expect some improvement in June and a cautious recovery starting from the third quarter."
Accordingly, Kia plans to minimize production disruptions caused by the shortage of vehicle semiconductors by securing alternative components, proactively stocking inventory through annual orders, and adjusting production plans.
Expansion of RV and new car sales... focusing efforts on EV6 launch
Kia plans to continue improving performance this year through sales of high-profit models such as RVs and new cars, given the considerable demand elasticity in key markets. Domestically, Kia will focus on sales centered on RV models and the successful expansion of K8 sales, while overseas it will strengthen sales strategies for RV models such as Telluride, Sorento, and Seltos.
Ju said, "The market response to each SUV model such as Carnival, Telluride, Sorento, and Seltos is significant. We believe the new SUV model effect will continue with the completion of the NQ5 and the successor to Sportage scheduled for release in the second half of this year."
Kia also plans to actively carry out differentiated pre-marketing efforts for the successful launch of its first dedicated electric vehicle model, the EV6.
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