SEOUL - Kia Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, reported a 3.9 percent decline in June sales compared to the previous year, attributing the downturn to fewer working days and a major conversion project at one of its production plants.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kia sold 267,536 vehicles last month, a drop from 278,359 units during the same period last year. The decrease was driven by a 13.7 percent fall in domestic sales, influenced by fewer working days and anticipation for the new K8 sedan model. Internationally, sales decreased by 1.7 percent, affected primarily by diminished demand for smaller models such as the Morning and Rio due to ongoing electrification upgrades at the Gwangmyeong plant. Despite the overall drop, the Sportage SUV remained the leading model overseas, with 43,105 units sold. Following were the Seltos and K3, selling 21,824 and 20,315 units respectively. For the first half of the year, Kia's total vehicle sales reached 1.55 million, marking a 1.4 percent decrease from 2023.