• January global sales at 232,437 units, up 9.0% y/y
• Sales in Korea recorded 38,678 units, up 4.8% y/y
• Sales outside of Korea recorded 193,456 units, up 9.9% y/y
• Kia to continue its transition to sustainable mobility solutions provider through new models including EV9

Kia Corporation recorded total global sales of 232,437 units in January 2023, an 9.0 percent increase year on year.

Excluding the special purpose vehicle sales, Korea sales increased 4.8% year over year and sales outside of Korea recorded 9.9% increase year over year.

Kia’s most popular model in January was the Sportage SUV with a record 32,521 units sold, followed by the Seltos SUV at 27,075 units and the Sorento at 16,386 units.

In January, Kia posted strong performances in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa regions and India. In 2023, Kia aims to achieve global sales of 3.2 million units, with a focus on the sales of competitive new models such as the all-electric large SUV EV9.

Sales outside of Korea

Kia sales outside of Korea increased 9.9 percent compared to the same month last year with 193,456 units sold.

In markets outside of Korea, the Sportage SUV led the sales momentum with a record 27,029 units sold. The Sportage was followed by the Seltos SUV which sold 23,709 units and the K3 which sold 14,865 units.

Korea sales  

Kia recorded sales of 38,678 units in Korea, a 4.8 percent increase from January 2022.

The Carnival MPV led the company’s sales in its home market with a sales record of 6,904 units. The Sportage SUV was the second most sold model at 5,492 units, followed by the Sorento SUV which recorded 4,611 units.

Future steps 

Kia expects the continuing parts supply shortage to gradually improve in 2023. In line with improving market conditions, the company aims to expand production, launch new competitive vehicles and enhance profitability.

In 2023, Kia will continue to accelerate its electrification efforts and its transition into a sustainable mobility solutions provider by introducing innovative mobility products and services.

The company will continue to expand sales of its all-electric EV6, a model which has been recognized as the 2023 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year in January. Kia will also build on EV sales momentum through the introduction of the EV9, Kia’s all-electric large SUV due for its global debut later this year.

With the EV9, Kia will provide an unparalleled EV experience that aims to revolutionize the EV market with its strikingly contemporary exterior and interior design, over-the-air (OTA) update services and level three autonomous driving capabilities.

Editor’s note

* Sales results are based on wholesale unless otherwise specified
* Monthly sales figures provided in this release are unaudited and on a preliminary basis that may be subject to future update
* With the change in business results categorization in 2023, special purpose vehicle sales are recorded separately
* Special purpose vehicle includes various specialized vehicles and its figure accounts for sales in Korea and overseas markets