Kia Motors Sells 2,607,337 Units in 2020... 5.9% Decrease YoY

2021 Sales Target Set at 2,922,000 Units Including 535,000 Units Domestic

2021 K5 (Photo by Kia Motors) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Kia Motors announced on the 4th that it sold 2,607,337 units in 2020, a 5.9% decrease compared to the previous year. Domestically, it sold 552,400 units, a 6.2% increase from 2020, while overseas sales decreased by 8.7% to 2,054,937 units.

The best-selling model in the global market last year was the Sportage, recording 366,929 units sold. It was followed by the Seltos with 328,128 units and the K3 (Forte) with 237,688 units.

A Kia Motors official stated, "This year, we plan to optimize regional sales profitability and refine market-specific sales strategies in the global automobile market, pursuing sales recovery and profitability enhancement through flexible business portfolio management." Based on this, the company also announced its goal to sell 535,000 units domestically and 2,387,000 units overseas, totaling 2,922,000 units this year.

Last year, Kia's domestic best-selling model was the K5. The K5 sold 84,550 units domestically, making it the top-selling model within Kia. The Sorento followed with 82,275 units, and the Bongo III sold 61,906 units.

Among passenger car models, a total of 227,687 units were sold, including the K7 with 41,048 units, the Morning with 38,766 units, and the Ray with 28,530 units. Recreational vehicles (RVs), including the Sorento, sold a total of 260,648 units, with the Carnival at 64,195 units, the Seltos at 49,481 units, and the Niro at 21,239 units. Commercial models, including buses and trucks such as the Bongo III, totaled 64,065 units.

On the other hand, overseas sales decreased by 8.7% compared to the previous year. The Sportage was the best-selling model with 348,504 units, followed by the Seltos with 278,647 units.

A Kia Motors official said, "The Seltos, which began sales in the second half of 2019, sold about 330,000 units globally and about 280,000 units overseas, proving its excellent product competitiveness." He added, "This year, with the launch of next-generation electric vehicles equipped with an electric vehicle-exclusive platform and competitive new models such as the Sportage, we will implement solid sales strategies to achieve a major transformation into a new growth engine."

Meanwhile, Kia's domestic sales last month recorded 38,857 units, and overseas sales were 179,399 units, totaling 218,256 units. Domestic sales declined due to production disruptions caused by strikes (47,000 units). However, the 4th generation Carnival, released in August last year, continued its popularity by selling 7,077 units, a 37.1% increase compared to the same month last year. Overseas, the Sportage was the best-selling model with 29,872 units, followed by the Seltos (23,918 units) and the K2 (Pride, 20,462 units).

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