Kia sold 295,720 vehicles globally in June, marking a 9.5% increase compared to the same month last year, driven by strong sales of electric and hybrid vehicles.
In the first half of 2026, Kia's cumulative sales surpassed 1.63 million units, achieving the highest sales record for the first half since the company's founding in 1962, a milestone reached after 65 years.
According to Kia, domestic sales in June totaled 54,508 units, an 18.5% increase year-on-year, while overseas sales rose by 7.6% to 240,259 units. Sales of special vehicles amounted to 953 units.
The best-selling model globally was the Sportage, with 54,058 units sold, followed by the Seltos at 35,007 units and the K4 at 22,373 units. In the domestic market, the Sorento led sales with 8,561 units sold.
In the passenger vehicle segment, the Ray sold 4,159 units, the K5 3,150 units, and the K8 1,981 units, totaling 12,367 units. Recreational vehicles (RVs) sold a total of 37,131 units, including the Sorento, Seltos (6,685 units), Carnival (6,267 units), and Sportage (6,176 units).
In the commercial vehicle sector, 5,010 units were sold, including 2,531 units of the Bongo III and 2,349 units of the PV5.
Overseas, the Sportage was the top-selling model with 47,882 units sold, followed by the Seltos with 28,322 units and the K4 with 22,373 units.
Special vehicle sales totaled 953 units, with 473 sold domestically and 480 sold internationally.
In total, Kia recorded 1,630,988 units sold in the first half of the year, comprising 295,779 units domestically, 1,332,473 units overseas, and 2,736 special vehicles, marking the highest sales for any first half since the company began selling cars in 1962.
This figure surpasses the previous record of 1,587,536 units set in the same period last year, which included 276,423 units sold domestically, 1,309,016 units overseas, and 2,097 special vehicles.
Kia also achieved a record in electric vehicle sales, with 72,078 units sold from January to June, marking the highest first-half performance to date.
This represents a 151.1% increase compared to the previous record of 28,706 units sold in the first half of 2025 and exceeds last year's total annual electric vehicle sales of 60,820 units.
In terms of specific models, the EV3 led with 18,431 units sold, followed by the EV5 with 15,965 units and the PV5 with 15,000 units.
A Kia representative stated, "Thanks to strong sales of electric and hybrid models both domestically and internationally, we achieved the highest first-half sales on record. We plan to continue expanding sales in the second half with a full lineup of electric vehicles and region-specific strategies for SUV hybrid models."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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