After factory closures and slumping sales, the auto industry is starting to recover from the mass disruption caused by the global pandemic. Kia, for example, has made a surprisingly swift recovery. Back in July, the Korean automaker set a new retail-only sales record. Now, Kia has released sales figures for September in the US, and the figures are extremely encouraging.
In September, Kia sold 55,519 units in the US, representing the best September retail sales and best quarterly retail sales performances. America's unrelenting appetite for SUVs and crossovers meant that the Telluride and Sportage dominated Kia's September sales, with 8,829 and 7,165 units sold respectively. Compared to the same period last year, Kia's retail sales increased by 35.3 percent to 53,513 units.
With 8,829 units sold, the Telluride achieved an all-time monthly sales record, making it Kia's fastest turning model in the company's history.
For comparison, Kia sold 5,049 Tellurides in September 2019. The Sportage also achieved its best-ever September sales performance with 7,165 units sold compared to 6,863 during the same period last year, while the Seltos set a new monthly sales record with 5,613 units sold. Following its debut back in the summer, the all-new Kia K5 also achieved its highest monthly sales with 5,763 units sold in September.
"Our strong September sales performance was led by record setting sales of three of our popular and capable SUVs, Telluride, Sportage and Seltos, and also marked the brand's best-ever quarterly sales total in our 25-year history in the US," said Bill Peffer, vice president, sales operations, Kia Motors America.
"With the recent introduction of the all-new 2021 Sorento SUV and the ongoing popularity of the all-new K5 midsize sedan, Kia enters the fourth quarter with the most robust model lineup ever. Even despite the ongoing pandemic, Kia's momentum remains strong as we have outperformed the industry yet again. We're confident this upward trajectory will continue." Let's hope Kia can continue this sales momentum throughout the rest of the year and beyond.