Kia's Sales Soar: Drivers Can't Get Enough of These 3 Models
Most automakers don't release monthly sales results, but Kia, a longstanding exception alongside its sister company, Hyundai, has posted promising delivery numbers for May. Last month, Kia sold 269,148 units, up 1.7% year-over-year. Outside of Korea, Kia moved 223,817 units, a 2.6% annual increase. Kia SUVs such as the Sportage, Seltos, and Sorento stood out in May, selling 48,091, 26,017, and 21,889 units, respectively, while combined sales of the K4 and K3 outside of Korea totaled 17,641 examples. One sedan, Kia's K5, has also been making a splash with a 256% year-over-year increase in May.
Kia padded its sales by launching its EV3 electric SUV, which won World Car of the Year at the 2025 World Car Awards, alongside the EV4 electric sedan and the Tasman pickup. However, Kia's domestic sales experienced a 2.4% year-over-year decrease. The Sorento was the biggest hit in Korea during May, selling 7,734 units, followed by the Carnival MPV at 6,651 units and the Sportage at 5,295 units. Overall, this year held Kia's best Q1 numbers in history.
In 2024, Kia sold over 780,000 units in the U.S.-the company's all-time high, Tork reports. The automaker's strong 2024 performance also marked the seventh consecutive year that it experienced retail sales growth. Increased quality, new models, and evolving brand perception are driving Kia's global sales success, but Kia's flagship all-electric model, the EV9, sold just 37 U.S. examples in May, representing a 98.3% year-over-year decline. Additionally, sales of Kia's electric EV6 have been down 40.8% in the U.S. during the first five months, nearing the EV9's 48.2% sales drop during the same period.
Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations at Kia America, said that the EV9's new 2026 Nightfall Edition and the GT-Line model with a two-tone roof are among the incentives that should spur the model's sales growth. For its 4th of July event, Kia is selling the 2025 Niro EV with a 0% APR finance offer for 72 months and a $7,500 cash incentive. The brand also offers 1.9% APR for 60 months and a $500 cash bonus on select trims as part of its holiday specials.
Kia has achieved success in recent years by transforming its image, with Peter Schreyer playing a central role as Chief Design Officer from 2006 to 2012 and Chief Design Officer of the Hyundai Motor Group, which oversees Kia, from 2012 to 2018. Before working at Kia, Schreyer was head of the Volkswagen Group's Potsdam, Germany, studio. In 2006, Schreyer was given the opportunity to rebuild Kia's design direction from scratch, with his modern, sleek, and balanced designs leading Kia's global annual sales increase from 1.6 million to 3 million units between 2009 and 2016, according to Autocar. One of the influential designer's key contributions to Kia was the wide tiger nose front grille with top and bottom indents in the center, something he describes as "a frontal element so strong that you wouldn't even need a Kia badge as an identifier."
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