Kia's October Rise Accelerates While EV Demand Wavers

Kia posted its strongest October on record, moving just over 69,000 vehicles and beating October 2024 by a slim margin of 94 units. Yet the results varied across the lineup.

Key performers and overall momentum

The Sportage again led Kia's sales, moving a little over 16,000 units in October, up about 17.4% from a year earlier. The K4/Forte was the second-best seller, narrowly edging the three-row Telluride, though both models declined versus last October.

Telluride fell 11.6% and K4 dropped 22.6%. In contrast, Carnival and K5 posted notable gains, rising 34.5% and 31.2% respectively. Through October, Kia has tallied 705,105 vehicles for the year, an increase of roughly 8.0% compared with the prior year, despite having around 50,000 fewer sales at this point than a year ago.

Electric-vehicle performance

EVs continued to struggle. The EV9 and EV6 posted declines, with October volumes of 666 and 508 units respectively, down 65.7% and 70.7% year over year. After September's tax-credit-driven surge, October failed to sustain that momentum.

Eric Watson, Kia America’s vice president of sales operations, commented, “Despite the challenges facing the automotive industry, Kia remains focused on long‑term growth, offering a diverse lineup that delivers strong value, and we’re on track for a third consecutive annual sales record.”

Source: Kia