Kia America sold 80,502 units in May, an 11 percent retail increase over May 2025 that broke the brand’s previous any-month retail record set in August 2025. Year-to-date sales through May reached 360,220 units, up 2 percent over the same period in 2025 and a new company record.
The volume story is Sportage, which sold 18,405 units in May, a 6 percent gain year-over-year. Within that total the Sportage Hybrid accounted for a 171 percent jump, the steepest hybrid increase in the Kia lineup. Sorento Hybrid climbed 101 percent, Carnival Hybrid 32 percent. Across the board, hybrid models were up 179 percent; electrified models, which include plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles, rose 133 percent. Both figures are company records for May and for any month.
Telluride sold 13,665 units, up 18 percent over May 2025 and the model’s best any-month result to date. That mark extends a five-month streak of record-breaking sales for the second-generation SUV, which launched as the 2027 model. Carnival posted 8,062 sales, a 16 percent increase, with the Carnival Hybrid setting its own best-ever any-month record within that total.
The numbers confirm that Kia is holding volume in a category mix that buyers have been shifting for two years. The K4 and Forte combined sold 12,592 units in May, down from 13,870 in May 2025, a drop consistent with compact-sedan trends across the segment. The K5 posted 6,673 sales against 6,957 the prior year. Both sedans are running close to flat on a year-to-date basis.
EV9 sales reached 1,647 units in May. The EV6 sold 708 units, down from 801 in May 2025. Through five months the EV9 has sold 5,736 units; the EV6 sits at 3,459 units, a decline from 5,195 over the same period in 2025. The battery-electric share of Kia’s total volume remains single-digit, with hybrids and plug-in hybrids carrying the electrification growth.
Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations at Kia America, attributed the performance to range breadth. “Even as consumer preferences continue to evolve, Kia continues to break retail, monthly and year-to-date sales records thanks to our wide range of ICE, hybrid and electrified models,” Watson said in a statement. He noted that Telluride showroom traffic is growing and expressed confidence the momentum would carry through the first half of the year “in spite of recent economic challenges.”
Kia also announced that it provided 660 vehicles to support 2026 FIFA World Cup operations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Models supplied included Telluride, Sportage, Carnival, Sorento, K4, K4 Hatchback, and Niro. The company is expanding its partnership with The Ocean Cleanup to intercept plastic waste in Greater Los Angeles rivers ahead of the LA28 Olympic Games, a project backed by Los Angeles County, Long Beach, and Seal Beach.
The 2027 Telluride X-Pro was named best three-row family SUV by the Northwest Automotive Press Association after the group’s annual Mudfest off-road evaluation.
Whether hybrids sustain triple-digit growth rates once comparisons stack against stronger 2025 baselines is the next test. For now, Kia is moving volume where buyers are willing to pay for it.
Source: Kia. Images courtesy of Kia.
