Kia Sportage Sold 150,000 Units Annually in Europe Last Year

Record High... Hybrid Vehicles Make Up Half

Kia set an all-time record last year by selling more than 150,000 units of the compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) Sportage in Europe. As the popularity of eco-friendly hybrids increased in Europe, the hybrid share of Sportage sales reached nearly half.

According to Kia on the 13th, Sportage sales in the Western European market last year totaled 157,026 units, an 11.9% increase compared to the previous year. It was the first time that Sportage sales in Europe exceeded 150,000 units annually. The previous highest sales record was 140,327 units in 2022. With this, Sportage broke its European sales record for two consecutive years.

As of last year, Sportage accounted for more than 25% of Kia’s sales in Europe. This means that one in four Kia vehicles sold in Europe last year was a Sportage.

Since surpassing 100,000 units in annual sales in Europe in 2015, Sportage has enjoyed steady popularity. From 2021, hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models were added, aligning with the expansion of the eco-friendly vehicle market in Europe.

The Sportage hybrid, introduced with the 5th generation model, sold 56,309 units in 2022 and 73,179 units in 2023. As of last year, the hybrid share of total Sportage annual sales in Europe, including internal combustion engine models, was 46%, approaching half.

Kia Compact SUV Sportage [Photo by Kia]

Kia expects Sportage to achieve a new European sales record for three consecutive years through this year. In its recent announcement of the 4th quarter 2023 business results, Kia revealed plans to increase Sportage hybrid sales and expand the share of eco-friendly vehicles in Europe.

Kia also plans to increase Sportage production capacity by about 11,000 units compared to last year. Currently, Sportage is produced and sold locally in Europe. Kia has been manufacturing Sportage at its Slovakia plant since 2007. Following the 2nd generation in 2007, the 3rd generation in 2010, and the 4th generation in 2015, the 5th generation model has been produced since 2021.

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