Despite the chip shortage, and even with a slight dip in September, Kia roared to its best ever third-quarter U.S. sales performance. Kia's 2021 sales through September totaled 555,525, up from 428,350 in the third quarter of 2020, a 29 percent increase.
Kia's September deliveries of 52,906 were off 4.7 percent from a year ago. Sales of some of Kia's crossovers, such as the Seltos, Sportage and Sorento, were soft. But Kia dealers moved 77 percent of the Korean automaker's available inventory last month, and the company is rolling into October with a 20-day supply, among the lowest across the industry.
Notable nameplates in Sept.: The Telluride crossover continues to be the breakout star of the Kia lineup, posting sales of 9,278 in September, up 5%, and 70,724 for the year in one of the market's toughest and most crowded segments. The Forte sedan remains Kia's top-selling nameplate with 9,816 sold in September and 93,026 for the year. Two other Kia crossovers -- Seltos, down 48%; Sportage, down 7.9% -- slumped in September but are up year over year -- as did the Soul, off 7.6%.
Q3 Incentives: $2,336 per vehicle, down 32% from a year earlier, TrueCar says
Q3 average transaction price: $28,125, up 7.7% from a year earlier, according to TrueCar
Quote: "Kia's sales continued to break records and build upon the momentum seen since the start of the year, despite the ongoing supply chain issues facing the industry," Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations, said in a statement. "Our record-setting performance in Q3 has reinforced confidence that our positive sales trajectory will continue well into 2022."
Did you know? Consumers still want cars. All of Kia's cars -- Rio, Forte, K5 and Stinger -- have posted year-over-year sales gains. Kia sold 200,770 cars through the third quarter, 34 percent over 149,509 in the same period a year ago.
