Kia Reports Third Consecutive Month of Best-Ever Sales in May
Photo: Kia
As it continues to announce all-new and redesigned vehicles, Kia is improving upon its image in the U.S. — and it has the sales numbers to prove it. For the third month in a row, Kia has announced its best-ever monthly sales, totaling 80,298 units sold in May. That figure is an increase of over 14 percent from April’s sales number of 70,177 units.
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The massive growth in sales can be contributed to best-ever sales months for the all-new Carnival MPV, K5, Sportage, and Forte. While the K5 saw a 29 percent month-to-month increase and Sportage figures grew by a notable 36 percent, the Carnival saw the largest spike of a 57 percent increase from April to May. That should come as no surprise, given the fact that Kia has been focusing most of its ad campaigns on the new Multi-Purpose Vehicle.
Additional Kia models that saw increased sales figures included the Rio, Stinger, Soul, Niro, and Sorento. Oddly, Seltos and Telluride sales dipped a bit from April to May. However, the Telluride was still the fifth best-selling model in Kia’s expansive 13 vehicle lineup. The Seltos took the seventh position after the Soul, which sold 7,716 units in May.
| Model | April 2021 | May 2021 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forte | 12,504 | 13,323 | +819 |
| K5/Optima | 9,626 | 12,459 | +2,833 |
| Sorento | 10,040 | 11,144 | +1,104 |
| Sportage | 8,094 | 11,035 | +2,941 |
| Telluride | 8,195 | 7,776 | -419 |
| Soul | 6,770 | 7,716 | +946 |
| Seltos | 6,471 | 5,360 | -1,111 |
| Sedona/Carnival | 2,383 | 3,742 | +1,359 |
| Rio | 2,879 | 3,386 | +507 |
| Niro | 1,990 | 2,883 | +893 |
| Stinger | 1,193 | 1,457 | +264 |
| Cadenza | 25 | 13 | -12 |
| K900 | 7 | 4 | -3 |
| Total | 70,177 | 80,298 | +10,121 |
“Kia’s continued run of success has hit an important milestone – our very own ‘Triple Crown’ performance,” said Sean Yoon, president and CEO of Kia North America and Kia America. “Kia continues to grow market share due to increased dealer engagement, strong marketing campaigns and award-winning products – the latest example of which is the all-new Carnival MPV – which has doubled its market share over the outgoing Sedona.”
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Along with impressive sales numbers, two Kia models — Soul and Sorento — were also named to “best of” lists from Autotrader and Popular Mechanics. While the Memorial Day weekend and a handful of new awards likely contributed to increased sales near the end of the month, I can’t help but think this trend might continue as the year progresses.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.