Kia's K-Series Craze Leads to K5 Sales Record in 49 Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Kia Motors' sedan lineup, the K series, is leading sales in the domestic market with consecutive hits. The recently launched fully redesigned K5 model continues to perform well, setting a new monthly sales record after more than four years.

According to Kia Motors on the 8th, the K5 sold 8,048 units in the domestic market in January this year, a 144% increase compared to the same period last year. This is the highest monthly sales volume in 49 months since December 2015 (8,079 units) and represents more than a 28% increase compared to December last year (6,252 units).

Kia Motors launched the third-generation K5, a fully redesigned model, in November last year. The third-generation K5 is a full-change model released after 4 years and 5 months, adopting a new third-generation platform and powertrain. It also features advanced IT technology that allows drivers to control the vehicle's internal climate control system by voice commands.

Sales of the K5, which were only 2,848 units in November just before the new model launch, tripled to 6,252 units immediately after the launch, and surpassed 8,000 units in January this year, proving its popularity.

Riding on the popularity of the K5, the overall sales of the K series sedan lineup (K3, K5, K7, K9) are also on the rise. In January this year, sales of the four K series sedans reached 14,399 units, a 25% increase compared to the previous year.

In June last year, the partial facelift model of the K7 was released, leading to a sharp increase in sales. The K7's domestic market sales last year reached 55,839 units, growing more than 36% compared to the previous year.

The K7 facelift model, introduced after three years, is a product improvement model but attracted consumer attention by giving the exterior a near-new car level change. Shortly after its launch, it even surpassed its class competitor, the Grandeur, proving its popularity.

Kia's K series began with the launch of the mid-large sedan K7 in November 2009. Kia launched the mid-size sedan K5 in 2010, and in 2012 completed the lineup by introducing the compact sedan K3 and the luxury large sedan K9.

Over the past decade, the K series has sold more than 5.5 million units cumulatively and has established itself as Kia's main lineup. The K series is especially recognized for its design, having won numerous awards at global design awards, playing a significant role in promoting the reputation of 'Design Kia' worldwide.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.