Kia’s June sales down 3.9 pct on fewer working days, plant conversion project

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker by sales, said Monday its June sales fell 3.9 percent last month due to fewer working days and a production plant conversion project. Kia, a smaller affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., sold 267,536 vehicles in June, down from 278,359 units a year ago, due mainly to lower domestic demand for its models, the company said in a statement. The company said domestic sales fell 13.7 percent mainly due to last month having fewer working days as well as customers waiting for the release of the improved K8 sedan model. Overseas sales dropped 1.7 percent due to a decrease in sales of small models, such as the Morning and Rio, affected by the electrification conversion work at the company's plant in Gwangmyeong, south of Seoul. In terms of overseas sales, Kia's Sportage became the company's best-selling model, with 43,105 units sold. Seltos followed with 21,824 units, and the K3 came in third with 20,315 units sold. For the January-June period, the company said it sold 1.55 million vehicles, down 1.4 percent from the same period in 2023. Source: Yonhap News Agency