This file photo provided by Kia Corp. shows the Sportage SUV. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker by sales, said Monday its sales gained 1.7 percent last month from a year earlier on steady overseas demand for sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Kia, a smaller affiliate of local industry leader Hyundai Motor Co., sold 269,148 vehicles in May, up from 264,699 units a year ago, the company said in a press release.
Domestic sales declined 2.4 percent on-year to 45,003 units last month, while overseas sales climbed 2.6 percent to 223,817, it said.
From January to May, sales rose 2.3 percent to 1,316,233 units from 1,286,496 in the same period last year.
Domestic sales decreased 0.4 percent to 230,420 units from 231,237, while overseas sales increased 2.9 percent to 1,084,368 from 1,053,674.
The Sportage compact SUV was the bestselling model in May, with 48,091 units sold globally, followed by the subcompact Seltos with 21,889 units sold.
(Yonhap)
