• January 2026 global sales were up 2.4% Y/y to 245,557 units
• Outside of Korea, Kia sold 202,165 units, up 0.4% Y/y
• In Korea, Kia sold 43,107 units, up 12.2% Y/y
• Kia Sportage SUV led the company’s sales, selling 47,788 units, backed up by the Seltos and Sorento SUVs

Kia Corporation today announced global sales for January 2026 of 245,557 units, with a 2.4 percent increase year over year. The company’s robust performance was supported by continued strong momentum in SUV sales.

In the global market, the Sportage SUV drove Kia’s solid sales performance in January, recording 47,788 units. The Seltos and Sorento SUVs backed up this continued market performance, with the Seltos SUV recording global sales of 26,959 units. The Sorento SUV sold 19,770 units globally.

Sales outside of Korea

Outside of Korea, Kia recorded sales of 202,165 units, up 0.4 percent compared with the same period in 2025.

The Sportage SUV led the brand’s performance in markets outside of Korea, with 41,773 sales. It was followed by the Seltos SUV and the Sonet SUV, which recorded sales of 23,261 and 16,042 units, respectively.

Korea Sales

In the Korean market, Kia sold 43,107 units, a 12.2 percent increase compared with the same period last year, driven by a higher number of business days in January. In January 2025, sales in Korea were affected by a reduced number of business days due to the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Sorento SUV led the company’s passenger vehicle sales in its home market, with 8,388 units. This was followed by the Sportage SUV with 6,015 units and the Carnival MPV with 5,278 units.

Kia will continue to build on its global sales momentum this year with the sales of new models, including the all‑new Telluride and all‑new Seltos, and will also introduce hybrid variants in the U.S. In Europe, the EV2 will be rolled out, while in India, the company will debut the all‑new Seltos SUV.

Earlier this year, the company announced that it is aiming for global sales of 3.35 million units in 2026, a 6.8 percent increase compared with 2025.

Kia global sales – January 2026

Editor’s note 

* Sales results are based on wholesale unless otherwise specified
* Monthly sales figures provided in this release are unaudited and on a preliminary basis. Data may be subject to future update
* With the change in business results categorization in 2023, special purpose vehicle sales are recorded separately
* Special purpose vehicles (SPV) include various specialized vehicles. Sales figures account for sales in Korea and overseas markets