Kia America Posts Record Sales, Can You Guess What Model Was a Best-Seller?

According to Kia, it parted ways with nearly 30,000 electric vehicles in the first six months of the year in the United States, out of which over 5,000 copies were delivered for the third consecutive month. The former number represents a 112% increase over the first half of 2023, proving that the company remains a strong player in this game.

In total, Kia sold 386,460 vehicles in our market in the first half of 2024, slightly down from the 394,333 examples it delivered in the first half of last year. Its best-selling model by far was the Sportage crossover, which accounted for 79,853 sales. This model was closely followed by the Forte, with 70,473 sales. The Telluride completed the podium, accounting for 53,700 sales.

Other popular models in the brand's portfolio were the Sorento (46,663 units sold in H1 2024), Seltos (32,786), Soul (28,465), Carnival (21,083), Niro (18,102), and K5 (12,807). Kia sold 10,941 copies of the EV6 and 9,671 examples of the EV9 during the first half of the year, and its least popular model was the Rio, accounting for 1,916 sales, down from 14,196 in H1 2023. The discontinued Stinger also appears on the list, albeit with zero sales (4,554 in H1 2023).

"Kia's leadership as a sustainable mobility solutions provider and our growing selection of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric utility vehicles are delivering one of the most balanced lineups in the industry," commented Kia America's VP of Sales Operations, Eric Watson. "With the first-ever hybrid Carnival MPV arriving soon and a growing supply of the updated K5 Sedan, Kia continues to provide customers with award-winning choices, and we anticipate consumer demand and Kia showroom traffic to further increase during the second half of the year."

Since Kia's exec mentioned the 2025 Carnival Hybrid, we might as well remind you that it mixes a 1.6L turbo'd unit with a 72 hp (73 ps/54 kW) electric motor. This model offers a combined output of 242 hp (245 ps/181 kW) and a peak torque of 271 pound-foot (367 Nm). The Carnival Hybrid is offered in the LSX, EX, SX, and SX Prestige trim levels, kicking off at $40,500 for the most affordable variant. The EX and SX versions start at $42,700 and $47,600, respectively, and the SX Prestige comes from $52,600, excluding the $1,395 destination charge and dealer fees.

Besides the electrified variant, the 2025 Kia Carnival is also available with the familiar 3.5-liter V6 engine. This version enjoys 287 horsepower (291 ps/214 kW) and 260 pound-feet (353 Nm) of torque. Pricing starts at $36,500 for the base LX, a $1,935 increase over the 2024 model. For the LSX, EX, and SX, interested parties will have to pay a minimum of $38,500, $40,700, and $45,600, respectively. The SX Prestige tops the family and starts at $50,600.

As for the company's most popular model in the first half of 2024, the Sportage, it is available in seven distinct trim levels. These are the LX, EX, X-Line AWD, SX, SX Prestige, X-Pro, and X-Pro Prestige. Pricing starts at $27,190 for the base spec and reaches at least $37,990 for the top grade. In case you forgot, the Sportage is also available with a self-charging hybrid powertrain, kicking off at $28,590 for this configuration, and with plug-in hybrid firepower, which starts at $39,590 before destination.

Before wrapping it up and calling it a story, we will remind you that the Sportage was also the car manufacturer's best-selling model in the first half of 2023. It achieved 71,889 sales back then, and the Forte and Telluride completed the podium in this order, accounting for 62,061 and 55,284 sales, respectively. Kia also sold 42,807 units of the Sorento in the same period, 34,747 copies of the Soul, and 32,423 examples of the Seltos. The K5, Niro, Carnival, Rio, and EV6 followed in this order, with 30,897, 19,325, 17,822, 14,196, and 8,328 sales, respectively.

The Stinger, which was dropped last year, was the Korean company's worst-selling model in H1 2023, as the automaker parted ways with 4,554 copies. Kia sent off the sports sedan with the Tribute Edition, which was available in 1,000 units worldwide, including 440 in America. The model started at $53,390 or $55,590 if you wanted it with an all-wheel drive system, and the pricing excluded the $1,175 destination charge. It was built on the GT2 and came with several visual enhancements, Nappa leather upholstery, individually numbered door sill plates, and other gizmos.

A twin-turbo 3.3L V6 engine supplied the firepower, producing 368 hp (373 ps/275 kW) and 376 pound-foot (510 Nm) of torque, working in concert with an 8sp automatic transmission. The Kia Stinger Tribute Edition took as little as 4.7 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph (97 kph) from rest.