Sportage Leads with 47,492 Units Sold
Kia announced on July 1 that it achieved its highest-ever first-half sales since it began selling vehicles in 1962. Despite uncertainties such as U.S. tariff impositions and domestic market stagnation, the company set a new record thanks to its eco-friendly vehicle sales strategy and the successful launch of new models.
In the first half of the year, Kia sold 276,423 units in Korea, 1,308,636 units overseas, and 2,102 special-purpose vehicles, totaling 1,587,161 units. This represents a 2.0% increase compared to the 1,555,697 units sold in the first half of last year.
The previous record was set in 2023, with 292,103 units sold in Korea, 1,281,296 units overseas, and 2,617 special-purpose vehicles, totaling 1,576,016 units.
The best-selling model in the first half was the Sportage, with 283,512 units sold. The Seltos followed with 151,049 units, and the Sorento with 137,461 units.
In June, Kia sold 269,652 units, a 0.2% increase year-on-year. By model, the Sportage was the top seller with 47,492 units, followed by the Seltos with 27,665 units and the Sorento with 19,758 units.
In the domestic market, Kia sold 46,003 units, a 4.5% increase compared to the same month last year. The Sorento was the best-selling model with 7,923 units. Among passenger cars, the Ray sold 4,260 units, the K5 sold 2,873 units, and the K8 sold 2,423 units, totaling 11,925 units.
For recreational vehicles (RVs), the Sorento led the segment, followed by the Carnival with 6,714 units, the Sportage with 6,363 units, the Seltos with 5,100 units, the EV3 with 1,884 units, and the Tasman with 1,302 units, for a total of 31,133 units sold.
In the commercial vehicle segment, the Bongo III sold 2,830 units, and including buses, a total of 2,945 commercial vehicles were sold.
Overseas sales reached 222,997 units, a 0.8% decrease compared to the same month last year. The Sportage was the top-selling model overseas with 41,129 units, followed by the Seltos with 22,565 units and the K3 (including K4) with 18,342 units.
For special-purpose vehicles, Kia sold a total of 652 units, with 322 units sold domestically and 330 units overseas.
A Kia representative stated, "Thanks to strong global sales of eco-friendly vehicles and the successful launches of the Tasman and EV4, we achieved our highest-ever first-half sales." The representative added, "In the second half of the year, we plan to maintain this sales growth by ramping up exports of the Tasman and EV4 and expanding our eco-friendly lineup with models such as the PV5 and EV5."
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