Kia's global sales down 41% in April as Covid saps demand

Kia Motors Corporation today announced its April 2020 global sales results, recording a total of 134,216 units, a 41.1 percent decrease from a year earlier.

Globally, the Sportage SUV was at the top of Kia’s sales with 18,398 units sold, followed by the Seltos SUV with 16,655 units and the K3 (sold as Forte in some markets) sedan with 13,120 units.

Vehicle sales in Korea rose by 19.9 percent year over year to 50,361 units. New models such as the all-new Sorento SUV released in March and the K5 (called Optima in some markets) sedan released last December contributed spur customers’ appetite despite of sluggish consumer sentiment.

Overseas sales down by 55%
Sales in overseas markets decreased by 54.9 percent from a year earlier to 83,855 units as COVID-19 outbreak sapped auto demand in global markets. The company also temporarily shut down some overseas plants including the one in India to curb the spread of COVID-19 global pandemic, which hurt vehicle supplies. 

In response to the tough business environment caused by the pandemic, Kia says it will proactively manage its business risks to cope with growing uncertainties and will provide fresh momentum to sales with strong line-up of new models including Sorento and K5.