Kia America announced its Kia EV models saw a year-over-year increase of 83%, with the EV6, in particular, setting an all-time October sales record, surging by 30% compared to the same month the previous year.
“The upcoming 2024 EV9, set for release soon, has already garnered significant consumer interest with pre-orders, establishing its presence in the competitive electric SUV segment from the start,” Eric Watson, vice president, sales operations, said. “We anticipate surpassing our 2022 full-year sales by mid-November, putting us on track to achieve a record-breaking annual sales performance for 2023.”
In October, six models, including Carnival (+172%); Rio (+44%); EV6 (+30%); K5 (+7%); Forte (+5%) and Telluride (+4%), recorded increased sales compared to the same month the previous year. Carnival and EV6, in particular, achieved their highest October sales records, and Kia’s SUV lineup accounted for 71% of October sales, leading the way in overall sales.
In addition to the monthly sales performance, Kia America announced several initiatives, including:
Its electric vehicle customers will have access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Starting from Q4 2024, Kia plans to build the North American Charging Standard (NACS) port into new electric vehicles sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to enable EV owners to use a significantly greater number of high-speed chargers than currently available to them. Further, the company expects to make available CCS1-to-NACS (Combined Charging System) adapters to enable nearly all Kia EVs to charge on Tesla’s network. Adapters are expected to be made available through Kia dealers starting in Q1 2025.
The forthcoming Kia EV9 three-row SUV was rated an EPA-estimated 304 miles in the Light Long Range RWD trim, besting an internal AER target of 300 miles, Kia said. All five EV9 variants were rated higher than the initial target estimates. Customers can make a reservation request for an EV9 through November 27 at www.kia.com.
