Kia America sold a record 701,416 cars and trucks in the U.S. last year for a 20 percent increase over 2020, the automaker said Tuesday.
In fact, it took Kia just 11 months to beat its all-time sales peak from 2016, when it sold 647,598 vehicles. Breaking through the 700,000-vehicle mark for the 12-month period was icing on the cake.
For the fourth quarter, sales fell 7.5 percent compared with the same period of 2020 to 145,891.
Deliveries in December fell 9.8 percent compared with the year-earlier month to 48,506 as the company dealt with supply chain shortages that have affected the industry in general, Kia said.
Notable nameplates: Forte, up 21% in December; K5, down 9.1%; Seltos, down 50%; Sportage, down 24%; Sorento, up 20%; Telluride, down 23%
Incentives: For the fourth quarter, $1,730 per vehicle, down 42% from a year earlier, TrueCar says.
Average transaction price: For the fourth quarter, $29,922, up 7.4% from a year earlier, according to TrueCar.
Quote: “Announcing best-ever annual sales is always a moment of pride, but for Kia to reach such heights in light of the ongoing pandemic and supply-chain issues clearly illustrates the strength of our product lineup,” said Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations at Kia America.
Did you know: Five of the brand’s vehicles hit yearly sales records, including the Forte compact sedan. The other four were all crossovers: the Niro EV, Seltos, Sportage and Telluride.