SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) — Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest car manufacturer by sales, reported on Friday that sales had gone up 5.2 percent in August compared to the same time last year, thanks to international demand for its sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Kia, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co., sold 255,481 vehicles in August, a rise from the 242,861 units sold in the same month in the previous year, due to increased sales of the Sportage, Sorento, and Seltos SUVs, according to the company’s statement.
Domestic sales increased by 2.4 percent year-on-year to 42,225 units in August, from 41,240, while foreign sales rose 5.8 percent to 212,882 from 201,135 during the same period.
From the start of the year to the end of August, sales have risen 8.9 percent to 2,092,200 vehicles from 1,922,080 in the same period of the prior year.
Domestic sales increased 7.8 percent to 381,752 units in the first eight months of the year, from 354,275, while overseas sales grew 9 percent to 1,707,045 from 1,565,838 in the mentioned period.
Kia has set a goal of 3.2 million sales in 2023, including 2.6 million abroad.
This file photo taken Aug. 17, 2023, shows the face-lifted Sorento SUV displayed during a press conference held at Aston House of Grand Walkerhill Seoul Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul. (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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