South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia Motors has reported a 2.6% increase in the sales of its passenger cars, recreational vehicles (RVs) and commercial vehicles during the first half of 2013 to 1,383,759, compared to the corresponding period prior year.
During the first six months of the year, China reported a 23.1% growth in sales to 291,125 units, representing the highest cumulative gain, followed by Europe with 3.7% increase to 296,543 units.
Korea and North America experienced decreases of 5.3% and 4.3% with sales of 226,404 units and 313,976 units respectively, while sales in the local market dropped by 1.3% to 255,711 units.
Kia Motors International Business Division executive vice president and COO Thomas Oh said, "Halfway through the year Kia is still posting positive sales results, and we are particularly pleased with the strong sales momentum in China, which further demonstrates the market as a rising star for the Kia brand."
In June, the vehicle manufacturer sold about 43,586 units of the B-segment Rio model in overseas markets that was reported to be its best seller, followed by Sportage compact CUV with sale of 33,388 units.
The C-segment Cerato, Optima D-segment sedan and Sorento mid-size CUV recorded sales of 32,696, 23,197 and 18,090 units, respectively.
