5 Reasons The First Half Of 2021 Was Kia Canada's Most Successful First Half Ever

The first half of 2021 was the highest-volume January-June period in the history of Kia Canada, topped off by record second-quarter sales and a best-ever June. 

In other words, with the summer season only now kicking into high gear, these are exciting times at Kia. "The momentum Kia has been experiencing is nothing short of incredible," says Kia Canada's COO, Elias El-Achhab. "Consumer demand across our lineup is strong and we are thrilled to see this growth in the market share as a result." Kia Canada's market share is now 4.8%, well ahead of brands such as Volkswagen and  Subaru.

Kia now ranks among the 10 top-selling auto brands in Canada after claiming 5.3% market share in the second-quarter of 2021. The auto industry is most definitely rebounding following a neaer-total collapse more than one year ago – Kia is simply rebounding just that much faster. In fact, Kia's rebound began much sooner. Kia gained more Canadian market share in 2020 than any other auto brand on the market.

Why is it all coming together for Kia in Canada? We're counting down the top 5 reasons Kia's first-half (with 41,270 sales, a 43% increase from 2021) was the best ever start to a year for Kia Canada.

#5: Forte Is Hot

They say people aren't buying cars anymore. They're wrong. Kia Forte sales are up 32% this year, and it's zooming up the leaderboard in the compact car segment. The Forte is now Canada's fourth-best-selling car overall. 9% of the compact cars sold in Canada are now Fortes, meaning the Forte has more than doubled its market share in just five years.

#4: Unbeatable Value

Because Kia resale values have risen so much higher over the last few years, Kia's value quotient has only grown better and better. Kias were always remarkably well-equipped for the price, but now you can also count on outstanding residual values that make leasing spectacularly affordable. You can also see just how strong Kia's reputation has become on the pre-owned market: June was the best-ever month for Certified Pre-Owned Kia sales across Canada.

#3: SUV Demand Is High

It's 2021 – buyers want SUVs and crossovers, so much so that maintaining a decent supply of Tellurides, Sportages, and all-new Sorentos hasn't been easy. Kia's utility vehicle sales are up 56% this year, in part because the Telluride continues to be so desirable (sales virtually doubled to 2,531), in part because the new Sorento is such a hot item, and in part because the 2022 Sportage just looks so good. The Sportage has actually moved into the No.3 spot on Kia's best-seller list.

#2: Carnival Is Picking Up Steam

There will always be families who need to absolutely maximize both passenger and cargo-carrying capacity. Why not do it in style? The Sedona-replacing Kia Carnival looks amazing and offers a remarkably high-tech cabin, but it also undercuts the competition. Carnival pricing starts at $34,795. That's $5,195 less than the base price of the Toyota Sienna. No wonder the Carnival's taking off – sales grew 146% between May and June alone.

#1: Everybody Wants A Seltos

The Seltos is Canada's favourite Kia. 8,134 Canadians drove home in a new Seltos during the first six months of 2021. Launched just as COVID-19 became a determining factor in the lives of Canadians, you might have expected the Seltos to struggle out of the gate; to generate the kind of attention required for a new nameplate that Canadians have never heard of. Not so with the Seltos, which just has too much going for it to not sell at a furious pace.