Kia's March sales up 2.2 pct as demand gains at home, overseas

SEOUL, April 1 (Yonhap) -- Kia Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, said Tuesday its monthly sales for March rose 2.2 percent from a year before, as the company said demand increased both at home and abroad.

Kia, an affiliate of local industry leader Hyundai Motor Co., sold 278,058 vehicles last month, up from 272,011 units in the same month last year, the company said in a press release.

Domestic sales increased 2 percent on-year to 50,006 units, while overseas sales gained 2.2 percent to 227,724 units.

By vehicle model, the Sportage sport utility vehicle (SUV) was the bestselling model in overseas markets, with 42,579 units sold. It was followed by the Sorento and the K3, selling 20,439 units and 18,200 units, respectively.

At home, the Sorento was the most popular model, selling 10,155 units.

Kia said it achieved its highest-ever first-quarter sales, with the number of vehicles sold during the January-March period totaling 772,351 units, up 1.6 percent from the same period last year.

"Hybrid models of key models, such as the EV3, Sportage and Sorento, which were launched in the second half of last year, drove strong sales and helped us achieve the highest-ever first-quarter performance," a Kia official said.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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