Kia sells 217,204 units in August, sees flat growth

Kia has announced total global sales of 217,204 units in August 2021, which marks a 0.1 percent increase year over year.

The Sportage and Seltos SUV models led Kia’s global sales in August, selling 32,388 and 20,561 units respectively. The Rio subcompact sedan (also known as Pride in some markets) was third with 17,769 units.

Overseas sales down 1.4%, India market shines
Sales outside of Korea decreased 1.4 percent from a year earlier to 176,201 units. The decrease mainly resulted from the disruption of the semiconductor supply chain around the globe.

In the regions outside of Korea, Sportage led the sales momentum with sales record of 25,817 units. The record is followed by Seltos which sold 17,837 units then Rio which sold 17,769 units.

In India, Kia posted a strong performance with sales of 16,750 units in August, registering significant 54.5 percent YoY growth (August 2020: 10,845). The company has launched the special edition X Line version of its popular Seltos SUV, which contributed 8,619 to August numbers. The Sonet compact crossover sold 7,752 units, with the remaining 379 units coming in from the Carnival MPV.

Korea sales up 6.6%
Kia recorded sales of 41,003 units in Korea, a 6.6 percent increase from August 2020. The all-new Sportage launched in July led the company’s sales in its home market.

Kia says it will continue to focus on maintaining positive sales momentum and enhancing profitability through new models, such as the EV6 battery electric vehicle and all-new Sportage SUV.

And, like most global automakers, it will also continue to take pre-emptive measures to minimise business risks stemming from resurgence in Covid-19 cases and supply issues.