In the competition of new car sales, Kia’s Sorento has maintained its edge over Hyundai’s Santa Fe. (Image courtesy of Hyundai and Kia)
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – In the competition of new car sales, Kia’s Sorento has maintained its edge over Hyundai’s Santa Fe. The Sorento offers both internal combustion and hybrid models, whereas the Santa Fe only comes with conventional powertrain options, although Hyundai is expected to release a hybrid model later this month.
According to the domestic sales records released on Thursday, Kia sold 11,190 Sorento SUVs last month, more than double the Santa Fe’s total of 5,139.
Hyundai launched an all-new Santa Fe model on August 16, while Kia introduced a facelifted Sorento model on August 18. Sales trends have attracted attention as both brands released their new models within a two-day interval in the mid-sized SUV market.
From their respective release dates until September, 17,366 units of the Sorento were sold, significantly higher than the Santa Fe’s 7,914 units.
The Sorento not only leads in the mid-sized SUV market in terms of sales but also holds the top position in the domestic passenger car market. Kia sold 68,902 units of the Sorento last year, claiming the No. 1 spot in the domestic passenger car market, surpassing Hyundai’s Grandeur (67,030 units). In the first nine months of this year, the Sorento’s cumulative sales reached 59,602 units, securing the No. 2 position behind the Grandeur (88,480 units).
The new facelifted Sorento received positive feedback from the market by upholding Kia’s traditional linear design heritage.
Despite being a completely redesigned model, the Santa Fe continues to lag far behind the Sorento. Typically, redesigned models have a greater impact as new cars compared to facelifted models, but the Santa Fe’s new rear design has received a mixed response from the market.
The Santa Fe is also slightly more expensive than the Sorento. In terms of the lowest-priced trim, the Santa Fe is 400,000 won more expensive in the internal combustion engine model and 1.02 million won more expensive in the hybrid two-wheel drive model.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
