Kia (000270.KS) recorded its highest-ever first-half sales since it began selling automobiles in 1962, the company said Tuesday.
Kia sold 1,630,988 vehicles in the first half of this year, including 295,779 units in Korea, 1,332,473 units overseas, and 2,736 special vehicles.
The previous record for first-half sales was 1,587,536 units in 2025, comprising 276,423 units in Korea, 1,309,016 units overseas, and 2,097 special vehicles.
The best-selling vehicle in the global market during the first half was the Sportage (303,203 units), followed by the Seltos (177,148 units) and the Sorento (125,283 units).
Kia also set a first-half record for domestic electric vehicle sales, selling 72,078 EVs in Korea.
This represents a 151.1% increase from the previous record of 28,706 units in the first half of 2025. The figure has already surpassed the full-year 2025 EV sales total of 60,820 units.
By model, the EV3 was the best-seller with 18,431 units, followed by the EV5 (15,965 units) and the PV5 (15,000 units).
"We recorded our highest-ever first-half sales, driven by strong sales of electric and hybrid models both at home and abroad," a Kia official said. "In the second half, we will continue to expand sales through region-specific strategies led by a full EV lineup and SUV hybrid models."
Meanwhile, Kia sold 295,720 vehicles in June, including 54,508 units in Korea and 240,259 units overseas, a 9.5% increase from a year earlier.
Compared with the same period last year, domestic sales rose 18.5% and overseas sales rose 7.6%.
The Sportage was the best-selling model with 54,058 units, followed by the Seltos with 35,007 units and the K4 with 22,373 units.
In the domestic market, the Sorento led sales with 8,561 units. Passenger car sales totaled 12,367 units, including the Ray (4,159 units), K5 (3,150 units), and K8 (1,981 units).
Recreational vehicle (RV) sales totaled 37,131 units, including the Sorento, Seltos (6,685 units), Carnival (6,267 units), and Sportage (6,176 units). Commercial vehicle sales totaled 5,010 units, including the Bongo III (2,531 units) and PV5 (2,349 units).
Overseas, the Sportage was the top-selling model with 47,882 units, followed by the Seltos with 28,322 units and the K4 with 22,373 units.
