Kia sells 266,675 vehicles in August, up 5% on year

Kia sold 266,675 vehicles in global markets last month, up 5 percent from a year earlier, the automaker said Tuesday. Domestic sales declined while overseas markets continued to grow on the back of region-specific strategies.

By model, the Sportage led global sales with 46,239 units. The Seltos followed with 35,698 units, and the Sorento came in third with 18,404 units.

Domestic sales totaled 40,213 units, down 7.6 percent from a year earlier.

The Sorento was the top-selling model in South Korea last month with 6,397 units. Passenger car sales reached 9,758 units in total, led by the Ray at 3,718 units, the K8 at 1,938 units and the K5 at 1,920 units.

Recreational vehicle sales came to 26,233 units, with the Sorento leading the segment, followed by the Carnival at 4,186 units, the Sportage at 3,874 units and the Seltos at 3,307 units.

Commercial vehicle sales totaled 4,222 units, including 2,385 units of the Bongo III and 1,744 units of the PV5.

Overseas sales reached 225,413 units, up 7.4 percent from a year earlier.

The Sportage was the top-selling model abroad with 42,365 units, followed by the Seltos at 32,391 units and the K4 at 17,519 units.

Special vehicle sales totaled 1,049 units — 152 domestically and 897 overseas.

"Domestic sales declined due to fewer working days during the summer vacation period, but overseas markets continued to grow through tailored sales strategies based on regional demand," a Kia official said. "We will sustain our sales growth momentum in the second half of the year, focusing on hybrid vehicles in the United States and electric vehicles in Europe."