South Korea January 2025: Kia Sorento lodges 5th straight win in slow market (-8.5%)
The Kia Sorento is once again the best-selling vehicle at home.
The South Korean new car market is in difficulty in January at -8.5% year-on-year to 106,081. This is partly due to the Lunar New Year falling in January this year. The total volume includes 90,852 local brands (-11.6%) and 15,229 foreigners (+16.4%). Despite a harsh fall, Kia (-14%) starts the year at #1, its first win since last July and 4th victory in the past 13 months. Hyundai (-3.2%) resists much better but is relegated to 2nd place overall. Genesis (-22.2%) sinks but stays #3 with 7.9% share. BMW (+37.6%) is the best-selling foreign manufacturer this time at #4 overall, overtaking Mercedes (+29.3%). Even though it is up 58.1% year-on-year, Renault Korea goes from 5% share in December to 2.3% this month. KG Mobility (-38.9%) and GM Korea (-58%) both freefall below. Notice also Volkswagen (+143.4%), Audi (+78.8%) and Ford (+59.8%) albeit with tiny volumes.
Over in the domestic models ranking, for the 2nd month in a row Kia monopolises the podium with the Sorento (-19.7%), Sportage (+10.3%) and Carnival (-13.9%). It’s the 5th month in a row and the 14th time in the past 17 months that the Sorento ranks #1 at home. The Hyundai Grandeur (+57.1%) ensures the Top 4 is identical to December’s. Great progression as well for the Hyundai Avante (+23.1%), Kia Seltos (+10.1%) and Hyundai Sonata (+629.8%). #5 in November and #9 in December, the new Renault Grand Koleos falls to #21 in January. The Hyundai Venue (+114.9%), Palisade (+44.8%), Genesis GV70 (+22.7%) and Kia Morning (+22.2%) also impress further down.
Looking at foreign models, the BMW 5 Series (+60.2%) passes the Mercedes E Class (+120.6%) with the Mercedes GLC (+99.7%) and Lexus ES (+13.7%) in tow. Three BMWs follow: the X5 (-3.6%), X3 (+36.8%) and 7 Series (+432.2%). There are three recent launches in the Top 50: the Mercedes CLE (#16), Polestar 4 (#34) and Volvo EX30 (#50).
Previous post: South Korea Full Year 2024: Kia Sorento first non-Hyundai #1 in 26 years
One year ago: South Korea January 2024: Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe top declining market
Full January 2025 Top 31 All brands, Top 54 All domestic models and Top 50 foreigners below.
South Korea January 2025 – brands:
| Pos | Brand | Jan-25 | % | /24 | Dec | FY24 |
| 1 | Kia | 38,412 | 34.6% | – 14.0% | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | Hyundai | 37,230 | 33.5% | – 3.2% | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Genesis | 8,824 | 7.9% | – 22.2% | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | BMW | 5,960 | 5.4% | + 37.6% | 6 | 4 |
| 5 | Mercedes | 3,790 | 3.4% | + 29.3% | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Renault Korea | 2,601 | 2.3% | + 58.1% | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | KG Mobility (ex Ssangyong) | 2,300 | 2.1% | – 38.9% | 7 | 6 |
| 8 | GM Korea | 1,215 | 1.1% | – 58.0% | 8 | 9 |
| 9 | Lexus | 1,126 | 1.0% | + 12.8% | 11 | 11 |
| 10 | Volvo | 1,033 | 0.9% | + 7.0% | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | Porsche | 644 | 0.6% | – 4.9% | 14 | 14 |
| 12 | Toyota | 430 | 0.4% | – 45.3% | 12 | 12 |
| 13 | Ford | 366 | 0.3% | + 59.8% | 18 | 18 |
| 14 | Land Rover | 325 | 0.3% | – 4.4% | 17 | 17 |
| 15 | Audi | 320 | 0.3% | + 78.8% | 13 | 13 |
| 16 | Mini | 234 | 0.2% | – 56.9% | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | Honda | 177 | 0.2% | + 0.0% | 19 | 20 |
| 18 | Chevrolet | 134 | 0.1% | – 13.5% | 24 | 22 |
| 19 | Lincoln | 134 | 0.1% | – 53.0% | 22 | 21 |
| 20 | Volkswagen | 129 | 0.1% | + 143.4% | 16 | 15 |
| 21 | Jeep | 120 | 0.1% | – 43.7% | 21 | 19 |
| 22 | Polestar | 103 | 0.1% | new | 20 | 24 |
| 23 | Lamborghini | 58 | 0.1% | + 728.6% | 26 | 26 |
| 24 | Peugeot | 38 | 0.0% | – 62.4% | 23 | 23 |
| 25 | Ferrari | 32 | 0.0% | n/a | – | – |
| 26 | Cadillac | 26 | 0.0% | – 54.4% | 27 | 25 |
| 27 | GMC | 14 | 0.0% | – 22.2% | 28 | 28 |
| 28 | Maserati | 14 | 0.0% | – 12.5% | 29 | 29 |
| 29 | Bentley | 10 | 0.0% | – 23.1% | 25 | 27 |
| 30 | Rolls-Royce | 7 | 0.0% | – 22.2% | 30 | 30 |
| 31 | Tesla | 5 | 0.0% | + 400.0% | 10 | 8 |
| – | Total local manufacturers | 90,852 | 81.8% | – 11.6% | – | – |
| – | Total foreign manufacturers | 15,229 | 13.7% | + 16.4% | – | – |
South Korea January 2025 – domestic models:
| Pos | Model | Jan-25 | /24 | Dec | FY24 |
| 1 | Kia Sorento | 7,454 | – 19.7% | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | 6,547 | + 10.3% | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Kia Carnival | 6,068 | – 13.9% | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Hyundai Grandeur | 5,711 | + 57.1% | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Hyundai Avante | 5,463 | + 23.1% | 7 | 9 |
| 6 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 4,819 | – 39.9% | 8 | 3 |
| 7 | Kia Seltos | 4,342 | + 10.1% | 10 | 7 |
| 8 | Kia Ray | 3,876 | – 6.2% | 12 | 11 |
| 9 | Hyundai Tucson | 3,636 | – 29.4% | 6 | 10 |
| 10 | Hyundai Sonata | 3,620 | + 629.8% | 5 | 8 |
| 11 | Hyundai Porter | 3,335 | – 22.4% | 11 | 6 |
| 12 | Genesis GV70 | 2,739 | + 22.7% | 17 | 17 |
| 13 | Genesis G80 | 2,730 | – 21.9% | 13 | 12 |
| 14 | Genesis GV80 | 2,692 | – 41.4% | 18 | 16 |
| 15 | Kia K5 | 2,583 | – 22.6% | 22 | 18 |
| 16 | Hyundai Palisade | 2,521 | + 44.8% | 21 | 22 |
| 17 | Hyundai Staria | 2,484 | – 17.1% | 14 | 14 |
| 18 | Kia Bongo | 2,419 | – 21.3% | 19 | 15 |
| 19 | Kia K8 | 2,297 | – 21.3% | 20 | 19 |
| 20 | Hyundai Kona | 2,141 | + 8.4% | 16 | 20 |
| 21 | Renault Korea Grand Koleos | 2,040 | new | 9 | 21 |
| 22 | Kia Morning | 1,484 | + 22.2% | 15 | 24 |
| 23 | Chevrolet Trax Crossover | 953 | – 57.6% | 24 | 23 |
| 24 | Hyundai Casper | 926 | – 69.2% | 23 | 13 |
| 25 | KGM Rexton Sports | 817 | – 40.0% | 26 | 29 |
| 26 | Hyundai Venue | 694 | + 114.9% | 33 | 39 |
| 27 | Kia Niro | 571 | – 54.0% | 25 | 25 |
| 28 | Genesis G90 | 554 | – 27.9% | 27 | 33 |
| 29 | KGM Torres | 547 | – 62.6% | 32 | 27 |
| 30 | KGM Actyon | 478 | new | 34 | 37 |
| 31 | Kia EV3 | 429 | new | 31 | 28 |
| 32 | KGM Tivoli | 293 | – 53.3% | 29 | 35 |
| 33 | Renault Korea Arkana | 272 | – 72.1% | 35 | 32 |
| 34 | Renault Korea QM6 | 263 | – 54.4% | 30 | 34 |
| 35 | Chevrolet Trailblazer | 199 | – 56.8% | 36 | 40 |
| 36 | Kia K9 | 123 | – 29.7% | 37 | 44 |
| 37 | KGM Rexton | 109 | – 39.4% | 41 | 46 |
| 38 | Genesis G70 | 107 | – 57.5% | 39 | 42 |
| 39 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 75 | + 92.3% | 28 | 26 |
| 40 | Kia EV6 | 72 | + 148.3% | 40 | 31 |
| 41 | KGM Korando | 44 | – 57.7% | 45 | 47 |
| 42 | Chevrolet Traverse | 39 | – 67.2% | 42 | 48 |
| 43 | Kia EV9 | 37 | – 91.8% | 43 | 45 |
| 44 | Hyundai Nexo | 24 | + 1100.0% | 48 | 41 |
| 45 | Renault Korea SM6 | 20 | – 78.7% | 46 | 50 |
| 46 | Chevrolet Colorado | 14 | – 63.2% | 52 | 52 |
| 47 | Chevrolet Tahoe | 14 | + 100.0% | 53 | 55 |
| 48 | Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 12 | + 200.0% | 38 | 38 |
| 49 | KGM Torres EVX | 12 | – 55.6% | 44 | 36 |
| 50 | GMC Sierra | 10 | – 28.6% | 51 | 54 |
| 51 | Hyundai ST1 | 7 | new | 47 | 49 |
| 52 | Renault Korea Master | 6 | n/a | 50 | 53 |
| 53 | Genesis GV60 | 2 | – 71.4% | 49 | 51 |
| 54 | KGM Korando EV | 0 | new | 54 | 56 |
South Korea January 2025 – foreign models:
| Pos | Model | Jan-25 | /23 | Dec | FY24 |
| 1 | BMW 5 Series | 1,804 | + 60.2% | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | Mercedes E Class | 1,438 | + 120.6% | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Mercedes GLC | 641 | + 99.7% | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Lexus ES | 632 | + 13.7% | n/a | 6 |
| 5 | BMW X5 | 564 | – 3.6% | 9 | 7 |
| 6 | BMW X3 | 532 | + 36.8% | 11 | 12 |
| 7 | BMW 7 Series | 463 | + 432.2% | 10 | 15 |
| 8 | Volvo XC60 | 416 | + 3.5% | 6 | 8 |
| 9 | BMW X7 | 395 | + 2.1% | 14 | 14 |
| 10 | BMW 3 Series | 388 | + 87.4% | 8 | 10 |
| 11 | Mercedes GLE | 368 | – 30.7% | 45 | 11 |
| 12 | BMW X6 | 320 | + 25.0% | 19 | 20 |
| 13 | Mercedes S Class | 296 | + 48.0% | 15 | 9 |
| 14 | Mercedes G Class | 273 | + 320.0% | 7 | 26 |
| 15 | Lexus NX | 272 | + 12.9% | 5 | 16 |
| 16 | Mercedes CLE | 247 | new | 42 | 25 |
| 17 | Porsche Cayenne | 244 | – 31.8% | 22 | 19 |
| 18 | BMW X4 | 231 | – 27.4% | 12 | 17 |
| 19 | Ford Explorer | 222 | + 170.7% | 27 | 40 |
| 20 | Porsche Panamera | 216 | + 517.1% | 31 | 43 |
| 21 | Volvo XC40 | 196 | + 78.2% | 26 | 28 |
| 22 | BMW 1 Series | 188 | + 394.7% | 50 | 48 |
| 23 | Volvo S90 | 164 | + 5.8% | 21 | 30 |
| 24 | BMW X1 | 164 | + 33.3% | 24 | 32 |
| 25 | Mini Cooper Hatch | 150 | – 42.5% | 13 | 21 |
| 26 | Mercedes GLS | 129 | – 2.3% | 46 | 44 |
| 27 | Toyota Camry | 125 | – 20.9% | 16 | 31 |
| 28 | Porsche Taycan | 122 | + 183.7% | 23 | 47 |
| 29 | BMW 2 Series | 120 | + 313.8% | n/a | n/a |
| 30 | Lexus RX | 116 | + 0.0% | 28 | 36 |
| 31 | BMW 2 Series Active Tourer | 108 | + 134.8% | 37 | 54 |
| 32 | BMW 4 Series | 105 | + 78.0% | 36 | 38 |
| 33 | Honda Accord | 104 | + 79.3% | 30 | 55 |
| 34 | Polestar 4 | 103 | new | 18 | n/a |
| 35 | Range Rover | 99 | – 18.2% | 35 | 39 |
| 36 | Mercedes C Class | 97 | – 60.2% | n/a | 18 |
| 37 | Toyota Alphard | 93 | + 50.0% | n/a | n/a |
| 38 | Jeep Wrangler | 92 | + 33.3% | 48 | 46 |
| 39 | BMW i5 | 92 | – 51.6% | n/a | 51 |
| 40 | Mercedes A Class | 90 | – 51.6% | 38 | 29 |
| 41 | Chevrolet Traverse | 90 | – 15.1% | n/a | n/a |
| 42 | BMW 6 Series | 89 | – 28.2% | 33 | 13 |
| 43 | Land Rover Defender | 87 | + 17.6% | 47 | 53 |
| 44 | Mini Countryman | 84 | – 39.6% | 17 | 24 |
| 45 | Volvo XC90 | 76 | – 39.7% | 39 | 42 |
| 46 | Lincoln Nautilus | 72 | – 54.1% | n/a | n/a |
| 47 | Volvo V60 | 71 | + 97.2% | n/a | n/a |
| 48 | Toyota Sienna | 64 | – 16.9% | n/a | 60 |
| 49 | Ford Ranger | 63 | – 37.6% | n/a | n/a |
| 50 | Volvo EX30 | 62 | new | – | – |
Source: KAIDA, Manufacturers
