Kia Motors Sells 51,008 Units Domestically in March... Global Sales Down 6%

Domestic and Overseas Sales Diverge... Domestic Up 15.3%, Overseas Down 11.2%

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Kia Motors announced on the 1st that it sold 226,960 units globally last month, a 6.4% decrease compared to the same period last year. Compared to the same period last year, domestic sales increased by 15.3% to 51,008 units, while overseas sales decreased by 11.2% to 175,952 units.

Kia Motors sold 51,008 units domestically in March. This is the first time in 23 months since April 2018 that Kia Motors has surpassed 50,000 units in domestic sales.

The new car launch effects of the 3rd generation K5, released in December last year, and the 4th generation Sorento, released last month, were effective. The K5 sold 8,193 units, becoming Kia’s best-selling model last month. Since the launch of the 3rd generation K5, it has maintained the number one monthly sales record for Kia for four consecutive months.

Including the K5, passenger car models sold a total of 24,752 units, including 5,045 units of the K7 and 4,126 units of the Morning. In particular, the K series sold a total of 17,608 units, boosted by strong sales of the K5. The K3 and K9 recorded sales of 3,509 and 861 units, respectively.

Recreational Vehicle (RV) models saw the Seltos as the best seller with 6,035 units, followed by the Sorento with 3,875 units and the Carnival with 3,179 units, totaling 20,131 units.

Commercial models recorded 6,014 units of the Bongo III, with buses and trucks combined totaling 6,125 units sold.

Overseas sales last month recorded 175,952 units, down 11.2% from the same month last year. This was due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which dampened consumer sentiment in major markets such as China, Europe, and North America, and led to the suspension of operations at some overseas factories.

By model, the Sportage sold 27,362 units, becoming the best-selling model overseas. It was followed by the Seltos with 21,771 units and the Rio (Pride) with 20,849 units.

A Kia Motors official said, “Recently launched vehicles such as the 3rd generation K5 and 4th generation Sorento have been highly recognized by customers for their excellent product quality and are receiving much love,” adding, “Although management uncertainty has increased due to the COVID-19 situation, we will minimize negative impacts through proactive risk management.”

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