Kia Corporation reported a 9.6% year-on-year decline in net profit to KRW 1,285.5 billion (US$ 1.59 billion) in the third quarter of 2026, down from KRW 1,422.5 billion a year earlier, reflecting mainly unfavourable foreign exchange movements. Operating profit surged by over 24% to KRW 1,818 billion from KRW 1,462.3 billion.
The South Korean automaker reported a 7.9% increase in global revenues to a record KRW 847,355 billion in the three-month period, including a 2.2% increase to KRW 141,013 billion from its domestic operations and a 9.2% rise in overseas revenues to KRW 706,342 its domestic operations.
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Global retail sales rose by 6.9% to approximately 829,000 units in the third quarter, with strong sales in South Korea, North America, Europe and India more than offsetting lower sales “in markets affected by external disruptions, particularly the Middle East.”
Sales of electrified vehicles jumped 47% to 300,000 units, accounting for 36% of global sales, driven by a 118% rise in hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) sales in the US to 172,000 units and a 75% rise in battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales to 123,000 units, supported by new models including the PV5 and strong demand in Europe and South Korea.
Kia expects sales growth to continue in the fourth quarter, “supported by its competitive product lineup and a balanced powertrain portfolio.” In South Korea, the company aims to maintain its recent BEV sales momentum while also expanding HEV sales. In the US, Kia plans to continue to strengthen its HEV lineup with models including the Seltos and Telluride hybrids, while also launching the EV3 BEV.
In Europe, Kia said it is looking to continue to build sales momentum with its mass-market BEV lineup and the PV5, supported by strong BEV demand. In India, the company expects to build on the sales momentum of the new Seltos while expanding its BEV and HEV model ranges.
