Kia sells over 100,000 EVs this year in S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea - Kia Corp. has achieved a significant milestone in the domestic market by selling more than 100,000 electric vehicles (EVs) this year, marking the first time an automaker in South Korea has reached this number, the company announced on Sunday.

In the period from January to September 17, Kia's cumulative EV sales reached 100,118 units, a substantial increase from 45,518 units during the same period last year, according to Kia's sales data.

EVs comprised 23.8 percent of Kia's total sales of 420,426 vehicles during the same period, indicating that nearly one in four vehicles sold was an EV. The company's EV lineup includes sedans such as the EV3, EV4, and EV5, SUVs like the EV6 and EV9, and the purpose-built vehicle (PBV) model PV5.

Kia recently unveiled its second PBV model, the PV7, in Germany last month. The company plans to launch the PV7 Cargo Long and PV7 Passenger Long, both approximately 5.3 meters long, in South Korea and Europe during the second half of 2027. To further strengthen its position in the domestic EV market, Kia intends to broaden its PBV lineup with the PV7, as stated by a Kia official.