The Kia Sorento has become the best-selling car in South Korea this year, marking the first time a recreational vehicle has led domestic car sales.
As of November, the Sorento recorded 85,710 units sold, according to data from Korea’s five automakers. Following closely were Kia’s Carnival with 75,513 units and Hyundai’s Santa Fe with 70,912 units, highlighting a significant shift in consumer preferences toward RVs.
This marks a milestone for Kia, which has been part of Hyundai Motor Group since 1999, as the Sorento is now the brand’s first best-selling model in Korea.
The achievement also breaks Hyundai’s two-decade-long dominance of the Korean market. Since 2000, Hyundai models such as the Sonata, Avante and Grandeur have consistently alternated as best-sellers, with the Porter truck and Grandeur sedan topping recent charts.
Industry experts credited the Sorento’s success to Kia’s strategic rebranding in 2021, which involved dropping “Motors” from its name and focusing on SUVs and hybrid vehicles.
The automaker also benefited from rising demand for RVs and hybrids amid subdued domestic car demand and a slowdown in electric vehicle sales, referred to by some as the “EV chasm.”
Additionally, this year marks the first time all three top-selling cars in Korea -- Kia’s Sorento and Carnival, along with Hyundai’s Santa Fe -- are expected to be RVs, signaling a pivotal change in the nation’s automotive market trends.
