Underscoring India’s growing stature in Korean car and SUV manufacturer Kia’s global operations, Kia India’s share of its parent company’s wholesales has, for the first time since its market entry in August 2019, crossed the 10% mark. As per the latest sales statistics for the cumulative first six months of CY2026, Kia sold a record 1.63 million vehicles worldwide to register 3% YoY growth (H1 2025: 1.58 million units). Of this, Kia India accounts for 163,749 units, up 15% YoY (H1 2025: 142,139 units), and a 10% share of global sales.
Kia India’s performance, wherein it has surpassed 150,000 units for the first time in an H1, marks its highest first-half wholesales as well as the highest level of contribution to Kia Global's sales: 10%. This beats the previous best of 9% in H1 2025 as well as in CY2025, when it sold a record 280,286 utility vehicles in the competitive Indian market and had three models in the Top 20 Utility Vehicles list.
H1 2026, with 163,749 units, is Kia India’s strongest-ever first-half performance, registering 15% YoY growth and taking its share of Kia Global sales to its highest level yet of 10%.
As the seven-year H1 wholesales data table above reveals, Kia India helped Kia Global achieve record first-half wholesales of 1,630,988 units. In the global market for the first half of 2026, the Sportage was Kia’s best-selling model (303,203 units), followed by the Seltos (177,148 units) and the Sorento (125,283 units). Of these three SUVs, only the Seltos is sold in India and contributed 35% to global sales in the January-June 2026 period.
NEW SELTOS OUTSELLS SONET IN H1 2026, SALES DECLINE FOR 5 OTHER MODELS
If Kia India has delivered its strongest-ever first-half performance, then the bulk of the credit should go to the second-generation Seltos launched in January this year. This midsize SUV with a 5-star Bharat NCAP crash test rating has sold 62,805 units in the January-June period, up 70% YoY (H1 2025: 36,883 units). As a result of its stellar market showing, the new tech-laden Seltos accounts for a 38% share of Kia India’s 163,749 units, up from the 26% share it had in H1 2025. January (10,639 units) saw cumulative Seltos sales since August 2019 cross the 600,000 milestone, which was an Autocar Professional news break. Till June 2026, total Seltos sales are 656,556 units, and it remains the best-selling Kia SUV ahead of the Sonet compact SUV, which is 100,000 units behind.
Second-gen Seltos (62,805 units) registered 70% growth and saw its share of Kia India’s sales jump to 38% from 26% a year ago. The Sonet (62,235 units) also did well, but the five other models did not.
The Sonet, which had outsold the Seltos both in H1 2025 and CY2025, is currently ranked second in the company’s model line-up sales, albeit just 570 units behind the Seltos. In H1 2026, the Sonet has sold 62,235 units, up 37% YoY (H1 2025: 45,277 units), with only a marginal difference in model-wise share. Surging demand for the Seltos and sustained SUV buyer interest in the Sonet have ensured that Kia India clocked 15% growth in H1 2026. Their combined sales have ensured that, despite each of the five other models posting a sales decline, Kia India stayed in the growth lane.
The Carens MPV, which has new siblings in the form of the Clavis and Clavis EV, is ranked third with 34,901 units, down 4% YoY (H1 2025: 36,421 units). Given the ongoing rise in demand for EVs in the wake of costlier petrol and diesel, expect demand for the Clavis EV to grow in the coming months.
The Syros compact SUV sold just 3,301 units in H1 2026, down 85% YoY. That’s 18,705 fewer units than in H1 2025 (22,006 units) and has seen its share of the company’s vehicle sales plummet from 15% to 2% in the first six months of this year.
The No. 5 model in Kia India’s portfolio in terms of sales is the luxurious Carnival MPV with 507 units, down 50% (H1 2025: 1,014 units), ahead of the zero-emission EV6 and EV9, which did not find any buyers.
KIA INDIA HEADED FOR 300,000 SALES THIS YEAR
With 163,749 PVs and UVs sold in H1 2026, which is its best half-year performance, Kia India is well placed to achieve its highest calendar-year sales. It is, at present, 116,537 units away from equalling its record annual sales of 280,286 units in CY2025.
Given average monthly wholesales of 27,291 units, Kia India should easily drive past the 300,000 milestone for the first time in CY2026. Demand will continue to be driven by the new Seltos, which is also seeing existing Kia customers upgrade to the second-gen model, while the Sonet remains a strong buy within the popular compact SUV segment.
The Carens MPV, which recently surpassed the 300,000-sales milestone, has benefited from the rollout of the Carens Clavis and Clavis EV models. The Clavis EV continues to witness positive customer response, supported by favourable government policies promoting EV adoption and Kia India’s recently introduced Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) programme. In terms of retail sales, the Clavis EV has helped Kia India take eighth place amongst 18 EV makers in H1 2026.
In CY2026, Kia Corporation is targeting global sales of 3,350,000 units (3.35 million units), including 2,775,000 vehicles outside Korea, 565,000 units in Korea, and 10,000 special purpose vehicles worldwide. This year, Kia Corp plans to sustain sales momentum and enhance its global market presence by expanding its hybrid lineup for key SUV models, including the new Telluride and Seltos SUVs, while increasing production and reinforcing global supply chain sustainability. With demand in key global markets continuing to be uncertain in the wake of the recent West Asia crude oil supply crisis, Kia Corp will be banking on Kia India to deliver the goods in the world’s third-largest automobile market.
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