Kia sells 298,037 vehicles globally in July, up 13.4% on hybrid strength

Kia sold 298,037 vehicles globally in July — up 13.4% from a year earlier on a wholesale basis — the company announced Monday.

The compact SUV Sportage led all models with 52,714 units sold worldwide, followed by the subcompact SUV Seltos at 36,429 units and the hatchback K4 at 20,789 units.

Domestic sales rose 21.3% year on year to 54,604 units last month, with the Seltos topping the local chart at 7,427 units.

In the passenger car segment, the Ray and Morning minicars sold 5,178 and 3,408 units respectively, while the midsize K5 moved 2,362 units, bringing total passenger car sales to 13,113 units.

Recreational vehicle sales totaled 36,040 units, led by the Seltos alongside the Carnival minivan at 6,917 units, the midsize Sorento SUV at 6,153 units and the Sportage at 5,381 units.

Commercial vehicle sales came to 5,451 units, including 2,846 units of the Bongo III and 2,472 units of the PV5.

Overseas sales climbed 11.6% year on year to 242,556 units in July.

The Sportage was the top-selling model abroad with 47,333 units, followed by the Seltos at 29,002 units and the K4 at 20,789 units.

Special-purpose vehicle sales totaled 877 units — 131 domestically and 746 overseas.

"Driven by strong sales of electric vehicles and hybrid models at home and abroad, we have achieved year-on-year sales growth for five consecutive months," a Kia official said. "We will sustain this momentum through tailored sales strategies, including new model launches and powertrain diversification by region."

Meanwhile, Kia set a July sales record in the United States, selling 75,857 vehicles — up 6.7% from a year earlier.