'Appa-cha' Carnival, Surprising 1st Place... Second Since Launch

7,565 Units Sold Last Month
Second Since October 2020

Kia Multipurpose Vehicle Carnival

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Last month, the best-selling vehicle in South Korea was Kia's multipurpose vehicle (MPV) Carnival. It is a steady-selling car that sells consistently regardless of season or timing, and it ranked first in domestic sales for the first time in over two years since October 2020.

According to last month's sales figures announced by each company on the 1st, 7,565 units of the Carnival were sold. The battle for the best-selling car has mainly been between the same brand's sport utility vehicle (SUV) Sorento and Hyundai's mid-to-large sedan Grandeur. Including commercial vehicles, it was about 1-ton trucks Porter or Bongo. In the case of the Grandeur, the volume decreased as a completely redesigned new model was released last month.

The currently sold Carnival was launched in August 2020. It reached 10,000 units the very next month. However, the Grandeur, which was less than a year old at the time, sold more, so it did not take first place. The most recent time it ranked first in monthly sales was in October of the same year, with 12,093 units sold.

There is virtually no competing model in South Korea, so even after two years since its launch, demand remains steady. In terms of exterior and size, Hyundai's Staria is similar, but it has a stronger commercial vehicle image. Among imported cars, Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey are also sold, but only in the tens or hundreds per month. This year, up to last month, the cumulative sales of the Carnival were 51,735 units, fewer than the Sorento but more than the Sportage.

Among the top five models by sales last month, Kia swept four spots. Except for Hyundai's Porter (7,020 units) in second place, the Carnival, Sorento (6,656 units), Bongo (5,951 units), and Sportage (5,762 units) are all Kia models. Following these were Avante, Casper, Palisade, Genesis G80, and Ray in order of sales volume.