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Kia Sold Just 37 EV9s In May, But A Gas Sedan Is On Fire

  • Kia’s EV9 and EV6 sales plunged in May, continuing a steep decline for the year overall.
  • K5 sedan sales jumped 256 percent last month, with a 220 percent increase year-to-date.
  • The brand’s total sales rose 5 percent in May and are up 10 percent from the start of the year.

Not every sales jump in the auto industry follows a straightforward narrative, and Kia’s latest numbers are a good example of that. The company had a solid May, moving 5 percent more vehicles than it did in the same month last year. But that top-line figure doesn’t tell the whole story.

While its flagship electric models took a hit, one unassuming sedan, the K5, surged with a 256 percent increase in monthly sales. Kia’s not alone in this EV slowdown, either.

More: Mercedes’ Electric G Flops So Hard It Could Change What Comes Next

It’s worth noting that the K5 has been out for several years. Its huge jump in sales during May doesn’t seem to be an outlier either. For the year, it’s up 220 percent. Put into raw sales figures, the company had sold just 9,036 through May last year. This year, it’s shifted 28,951 of them. Combined with the K4, Kia has already made over 90,000 sales this year.

Electric Models Lose Steam

 Kia Sold Just 37 EV9s In May, But A Gas Sedan Is On Fire

No doubt, the brand wishes its flagship electric vehicles were seeing even a modicum of that success. The recently refreshed EV6 is great to drive, but buyers aren’t snatching it up with the same vigor they did last year. Through the first five months of the year, it’s down 40.8 percent. The EV9, Kia’s flagship electric SUV is having an even tougher time as it’s down 48.2 percent in that same period.

That trend doesn’t appear ready to change either. In May alone, the EV6 was down 69.8 percent. The EV9 sold just 37 units across the country and, as such, was down a whopping 98.3 percent during the month. It’ll be interesting to see what Kia does to incentivize buyers to return as the new model year version rolls in to dealerships. These are both impressive cars, but consumers seem apt to favor hybrids now more than ever.

To Kia’s credit, this trend away from EVs and toward combustion cars isn’t one isolated to the brand. Ford announced its May sales figures recently and saw a similar trend. While the Mustang Mach-E continues to do well, the F-150 Lightning and E-Transit are dozens of basis points off where they were last year.

KIA USA SALES
ModelMay-25May-24Diff.YTD-25YTD-24Diff.
EV9372187-98.3%4,0167,766-48.3%
EV68012,660-69.9%5,1908,770-40.8%
K4/Forte13,87013,1325.6%63,97059,1158.2%
K56,9571,950256.8%28,9519,036220.4%
Soul5,0435,740-12.1%21,38923,900-10.5%
Niro2,3544,215-44.2%9,82014,721-33.3%
Seltos5,2546,460-18.7%20,67726,915-23.2%
Sportage17,06315,51210.0%74,53666,53712.0%
Sorento9,0938,8263.0%43,88839,73810.4%
Telluride11,56010,31512.1%52,26744,84216.6%
Carnival6,9754,15168.0%27,95217,27761.8%
Total79,00775,1565.1%352,656320,53110.0%
SWIPE
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