Kia America, continuing its streak of year-over-year growth for 15 consecutive months, achieved an all-time high October sales record with 59,164 units sold, despite a decrease in business days compared to the previous year. Kia’s EV models saw a year-over-year increase of 83-percent, with the EV6, in particular, setting an all-time October sales record, surging by 30-percent compared to the same month the previous year.
Eric Watson, vice president, sales operations, Kia America, commented, “Kia’s ability to consistently increase year-over-year monthly sales for 15 months in a row is a testament to our ability to provide consumers with a world-class lineup that caters not only to sedans and SUVs but also electric models. The upcoming 2024 EV9, set for release soon, has already garnered significant consumer interest with pre-orders, establishing its presence in the competitive electric SUV segment from the start.” He added, “We anticipate surpassing our 2022 full-year sales by mid-November, putting us on track to achieve a record-breaking annual sales performance for 2023.”
In October, six models, including Carnival (+172-percent); Rio (+44-percent); EV6 (+30-percent); K5 (+7-percent); Forte (+5-percent) and Telluride (+4-percent), recorded increased sales compared to the same month the previous year. Carnival and EV6, in particular achieved their highest October sales records and Kia’s SUV lineup accounted for 71-percent of October sales, leading the way in overall sales.
In addition to the monthly sales performance, Kia America announced several initiatives, including:
- A new creative campaign for Kia America’s most-awarded vehicle ever, the Telluride SUV, debuted during the opening game of the 2023-2024 NBA season. The 30-second spot “Loose Ball,” developed by Kia’s newest technology and creative partner Opus, features Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green and his daughter, Olive. Kia America has been the “Official Automotive Partner” of the NBA for 16 years
- Kia America announced that its electric vehicle customers will have access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Starting from Q4 2024, Kia plans to build the North American Charging Standard (NACS) port into new electric vehicles sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to enable EV owners to use a significantly greater number of high-speed chargers than currently available to them. Further, the company expects to make available *CCS1-to-NACS (Combined Charging System) adapters to enable nearly all Kia EVs to charge on Tesla’s network. Adapters are expected to be made available through Kia dealers starting in Q1 2025
- The forthcoming Kia EV9 three-row SUV was rated an EPA-estimated 304 miles in the Light Long Range RWD trim, besting an internal AER target of 300 miles. All five EV9 variants were rated higher than initial target estimates. Customers can make a reservation request for an EV9 through November 27 at www.kia.com
- The 2024 Kia Seltos SX was named the winner of the 2023 Affordable SUV Challenge by Cars.com, where it beat five other popular subcompact SUVs priced around $30,000. The Seltos SX stood out among the pack with its zippy performance and received praise for its upscale interior and features that weren’t found in the other challengers
| Oct | Oct | YTD | YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 |
| EV6 | 1,542 | 1,186 | 16,340 | 18,750 |
| Rio | 2,544 | 1,767 | 23,740 | 22,047 |
| Forte | 9,393 | 8,942 | 104,528 | 91,006 |
| K5 | 5,200 | 4,863 | 54,794 | 58,426 |
| Stinger | 49 | 430 | 5,421 | 7,073 |
| Soul | 4,192 | 4,782 | 54,263 | 49,227 |
| Niro | 2,408 | 3,166 | 31,493 | 21,877 |
| Seltos | 4,355 | 4,473 | 51,414 | 36,655 |
| Sportage | 11,053 | 11,877 | 118,637 | 101,616 |
| Sorento | 6,388 | 7,320 | 74,014 | 71,920 |
| Telluride | 8,533 | 8,179 | 92,514 | 80,475 |
| Carnival | 3,507 | 1,291 | 36,680 | 17,351 |
| Total | 59,164 | 58,276 | 663,838 | 576,424 |