Kia Sorento tops first-half sales; Tesla Model Y edges out Hyundai Grandeur for No. 2

Kia's midsize SUV, the Sorento, claimed the title of South Korea's best-selling passenger car in the first half of this year, while the Tesla Model Y surpassed the Hyundai Motor Grandeur to rank second overall across both domestic and imported models.

New passenger car registrations in South Korea totaled 765,631 units from January through June, up 1.5 percent from the same period last year, according to the Carisyou Data Research Institute on Monday.

Combining domestic and imported models, the Sorento led all passenger cars with 56,367 units sold. The Tesla Model Y followed in second place with 43,361 units. The Hyundai Motor Grandeur ranked third with 38,526 units, the Kia Sportage fourth with 31,994 units and the Kia Carnival fifth with 31,143 units.

The Model Y's rise goes beyond a strong showing within the import segment. South Korea's best-seller rankings have long been dominated by Hyundai Motor and Kia midsize SUVs, near-large sedans and recreational vehicles. By outselling the Grandeur, Sportage and Carnival, the Model Y became the first single electric vehicle model to reach the top of the domestic passenger car chart.

Hyundai Motor and Kia's grip on the top 10 remained firm, with nine of the 10 models — the Sorento, Grandeur, Sportage, Carnival, Sonata, Avante, Ray, Seltos and Tucson — belonging to the two brands. Still, the Model Y's second-place finish signals a meaningful shift in the market.

Rounding out the rankings, the Hyundai Motor Sonata placed sixth with 30,344 units, the Hyundai Motor Avante seventh with 28,962 units, the Kia Ray eighth with 25,311 units, the Kia Seltos ninth with 23,004 units and the Hyundai Motor Tucson 10th with 21,176 units.

The shift was equally pronounced at the brand level in the import segment. Tesla registered 56,147 imported passenger cars in the first half of this year, overtaking BMW and Mercedes-Benz to become the top imported passenger car brand. That represented a 192.1 percent increase from the same period last year. BYD also registered 11,675 units to rank fourth among imported passenger car brands.

A breakdown by fuel type shows the electric vehicle transition accelerating sharply. First-half EV registrations reached 198,969 units, up 112.6 percent from a year earlier. Gasoline-powered vehicles, by contrast, fell 14.6 percent to 331,814 units, while diesel vehicles dropped 52.4 percent to 27,410 units.

Total new vehicle registrations across all categories came to 853,969 units, a modest 1.3 percent increase from the same period last year. Within that overall figure, however, domestic and imported vehicles moved in opposite directions: domestic registrations fell 4.8 percent to 667,159 units, while imports rose 31.7 percent to 186,810 units.

"The Model Y reaching second place in the overall passenger car rankings means imported electric vehicles are no longer confined to their own separate market," an industry official said. "In the second half, new model launches from Hyundai Motor and Kia combined with intensifying EV price competition will make the best-seller race even fiercer."