“Breaking the all-time annual sales record with one month left in the sales cycle is concrete proof that demand for Kia vehicles is on the rise and has been throughout the year,” said Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations at Kia America.
To be sure, the Korean automaker is struggling with the chip shortage and tight inventories as other automakers are. But Kia has done a better job managing inventory out of its plants in South Korea and West Point, Ga.
While the Georgia-built, three-row Telluride large crossover has been in short supply since its introduction for the 2020 model year, Kia dealer Ryan Gremore said nearly everything in the lineup is on fire. That includes the brand’s redesigned and renamed Carnival minivan, the Seltos subcompact crossover and the redesigned and renamed K5 midsize sedan.
“Killing it,” said Gremore, president of the multibrand O’Brien Auto Team in Bloomington, Ill. “We outsold all of our brands last month by 30 percent with Kia, and continue to have a list of pre-ordered cars that people are waiting for.”
Customers are already signing up for the redesigned 2023 Sportage compact crossover that will launch in the first half of 2022 with a significant increase in size. “A lot of interest,” Gremore said in an email. “I’ve never seen so many people buy vehicles without seeing them.”
