South Korea February 2025: Kia monopolises podium again but Hyundai #1
The Hyundai Ioniq 9 has landed in its home charts.
South Korean new car sales are in great shape in February thanks to more opening days, at +14.7% to 132,501 units. This includes 112,302 for local manufacturers (+13.1%) and 20,199 for foreigners (+24.4%). The year-to-date volume switches to positive territory at +3.1% to 238,582 including 203,154 locals (+0.5%) and 35,428 foreigners (+20.8%). This month Hyundai (+26.8%) returns to #1 for the 6th time in the past 7 months, passing Kia (+4.5%). Kia however remains #1 year-to-date, for just 236 sales. Genesis (-3.4%) underperforms but to cross the 10,000 monthly units barrier for the first time since last November. Renault Korea (+170.1%) continues to be lifted by the new Grand Koleos and advances to #5. BMW (+3%) and Mercedes (+29.8%) lead foreign manufacturers above Tesla (+1177%).
The Kia Sorento (+4.6%) manages a 6th consecutive win, and stands way above the competition with over 9,000 sales. In fact Kia monopolises the podium for the third month in a row, with the Carnival (-3.2%) at #2 and the Sportage (-6.1%) at #3. The Hyundai Avante (+174.7%) shoots up to #4 thanks to a new generation, overtaking the Hyundai Grandeur (+38.3%) also strong. The Hyundai Sonata (+222.2%), Tucson (+54.2%) and Kia Seltos (+20.1%) also shine below just as the Renault Grand Koleos rallies back up 9 spots on last month to #12. We welcome the Hyundai Ioniq 9 at #42.
Looking at foreign models, the Tesla Model Y goes from no sale in January to over 2,000 this month, securing the first spot. The Mercedes E Class (+98.6%) stays at #2 while last month’s leader, the BMW 5 Series (-20.4%), falls to #3 but remains #1 year-to-date. Excellent performances also by the Mercedes GLC (+170.9%), BMW 3 Series (+82.7%) and VW ID.4 (+5257.1%).
Previous month: South Korea January 2025: Kia Sorento lodges 5th straight win in slow market (-8.5%)
One year ago: South Korea February 2024: Market down, Kia and Sorento repeat at #1, Genesis GV80 breaks record
Full February 2025 Top 31 All brands, Top 55 All domestic models and Top 50 foreign models below.
South Korea February 2025 – brands:
| Pos | Brand | Feb-25 | % | /24 | Jan | 2025 | % | /24 | Pos | FY24 |
| 1 | Hyundai | 46,993 | 35.5% | + 26.8% | 2 | 84,223 | 35.3% | + 11.5% | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Kia | 46,047 | 34.8% | + 4.5% | 1 | 84,459 | 35.4% | – 4.8% | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Genesis | 10,223 | 7.7% | – 3.4% | 3 | 19,047 | 8.0% | – 13.2% | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | BMW | 6,274 | 4.7% | + 3.0% | 4 | 12,234 | 5.1% | + 17.4% | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Renault Korea | 4,881 | 3.7% | + 170.1% | 6 | 7,482 | 3.1% | + 116.7% | 6 | 7 |
| 6 | Mercedes | 4,663 | 3.5% | + 29.8% | 5 | 8,453 | 3.5% | + 29.6% | 5 | 5 |
| 7 | KG Mobility (ex Ssangyong) | 2,676 | 2.0% | – 28.6% | 7 | 4,976 | 2.1% | – 33.7% | 7 | 6 |
| 8 | Tesla | 2,222 | 1.7% | + 1177.0% | 31 | 2,227 | 0.9% | + 1172.6% | 10 | 8 |
| 9 | GM Korea | 1,482 | 1.1% | – 25.4% | 8 | 2,697 | 1.1% | – 44.7% | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | Lexus | 1,337 | 1.0% | + 45.5% | 9 | 2,463 | 1.0% | + 28.5% | 9 | 11 |
| 11 | Volvo | 1,046 | 0.8% | + 8.8% | 10 | 2,079 | 0.9% | + 7.9% | 11 | 10 |
| 12 | Porsche | 703 | 0.5% | – 15.1% | 11 | 1,347 | 0.6% | – 10.5% | 12 | 14 |
| 13 | Toyota | 623 | 0.5% | – 15.4% | 12 | 1,053 | 0.4% | – 30.8% | 13 | 12 |
| 14 | Audi | 609 | 0.5% | + 127.2% | 15 | 929 | 0.4% | + 107.8% | 14 | 13 |
| 15 | Mini | 538 | 0.4% | – 28.7% | 16 | 772 | 0.3% | – 40.5% | 15 | 16 |
| 16 | Volkswagen | 499 | 0.4% | + 8.0% | 20 | 628 | 0.3% | + 21.9% | 18 | 15 |
| 17 | Land Rover | 442 | 0.3% | + 60.7% | 14 | 767 | 0.3% | + 24.7% | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | Ford | 393 | 0.3% | + 28.4% | 13 | 759 | 0.3% | + 41.9% | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | Honda | 298 | 0.2% | + 168.5% | 17 | 475 | 0.2% | + 64.9% | 19 | 20 |
| 20 | Lincoln | 119 | 0.1% | – 46.9% | 19 | 253 | 0.1% | – 50.3% | 20 | 21 |
| 21 | Jeep | 111 | 0.1% | – 33.5% | 21 | 231 | 0.1% | – 39.2% | 21 | 19 |
| 22 | Polestar | 71 | 0.1% | + 2266.7% | 22 | 174 | 0.1% | + 5700.0% | 22 | 24 |
| 23 | Peugeot | 40 | 0.0% | – 62.3% | 24 | 78 | 0.0% | – 62.3% | 25 | 23 |
| 24 | Lamborghini | 35 | 0.0% | + 775.0% | 23 | 93 | 0.0% | + 745.5% | 24 | 26 |
| 25 | Chevrolet | 33 | 0.0% | – 75.7% | 18 | 167 | 0.1% | – 42.6% | 23 | 22 |
| 26 | Maserati | 30 | 0.0% | + 87.5% | 28 | 44 | 0.0% | + 37.5% | 28 | 29 |
| 27 | Ferrari | 28 | 0.0% | n/a | 25 | 60 | 0.0% | n/a | 26 | – |
| 28 | Bentley | 26 | 0.0% | + 136.4% | 29 | 36 | 0.0% | + 50.0% | 29 | 27 |
| 29 | Cadillac | 25 | 0.0% | – 60.3% | 26 | 51 | 0.0% | – 57.5% | 27 | 25 |
| 30 | GMC | 21 | 0.0% | + 5.0% | 27 | 35 | 0.0% | – 7.9% | 30 | 28 |
| 31 | Rolls-Royce | 13 | 0.0% | + 18.2% | 30 | 20 | 0.0% | + 0.0% | 31 | 30 |
| – | Total local manufacturers | 112,302 | 84.8% | + 13.1% | – | 203,154 | 85.2% | + 0.5% | – | – |
| – | Total foreign manufacturers | 20,199 | 15.2% | + 24.4% | – | 35,428 | 14.8% | + 20.8% | – | – |
| – | Total market | 132,501 | 100.0% | + 14.7% | – | 238,582 | 100.0% | + 3.1% | – | – |
South Korea February 2025 – domestic models:
| Pos | Model | Feb-25 | /24 | Jan | 2025 | /24 | Pos | FY24 |
| 1 | Kia Sorento | 9,067 | + 4.6% | 1 | 16,521 | – 8.0% | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Kia Carnival | 7,734 | – 3.2% | 3 | 13,802 | – 8.2% | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Kia Sportage | 6,568 | – 6.1% | 2 | 13,115 | + 1.5% | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Hyundai Avante | 6,296 | + 174.7% | 5 | 11,759 | + 74.7% | 4 | 9 |
| 5 | Hyundai Grandeur | 5,481 | + 38.3% | 4 | 11,192 | + 47.3% | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Hyundai Porter | 5,169 | – 18.7% | 11 | 8,504 | – 20.2% | 8 | 6 |
| 7 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 5,076 | – 31.5% | 6 | 9,895 | – 35.9% | 6 | 3 |
| 8 | Kia Seltos | 4,764 | + 20.1% | 7 | 9,106 | + 15.1% | 7 | 7 |
| 9 | Hyundai Tucson | 4,735 | + 54.2% | 9 | 8,371 | + 1.8% | 9 | 10 |
| 10 | Hyundai Sonata | 4,585 | + 222.2% | 10 | 8,205 | + 327.6% | 10 | 8 |
| 11 | Kia Ray | 4,287 | + 7.9% | 8 | 8,163 | + 0.8% | 11 | 11 |
| 12 | Renault Korea Grand Koleos | 4,106 | new | 21 | 6,146 | new | 14 | 21 |
| 13 | Genesis G80 | 4,026 | + 23.6% | 13 | 6,756 | + 0.1% | 12 | 12 |
| 14 | Hyundai Palisade | 3,842 | + 62.5% | 16 | 6,363 | + 55.0% | 13 | 22 |
| 15 | Kia Bongo | 3,281 | + 6.6% | 18 | 5,700 | – 7.3% | 15 | 15 |
| 16 | Hyundai Staria | 3,005 | + 4.4% | 17 | 5,489 | – 6.6% | 16 | 14 |
| 17 | Genesis GV70 | 2,749 | + 52.3% | 12 | 5,488 | + 35.9% | 17 | 17 |
| 18 | Genesis GV80 | 2,642 | – 43.2% | 14 | 5,334 | – 42.3% | 18 | 16 |
| 19 | Kia K5 | 2,503 | – 15.7% | 15 | 5,086 | – 19.3% | 19 | 18 |
| 20 | Kia K8 | 2,457 | + 13.5% | 19 | 4,754 | – 6.5% | 20 | 19 |
| 21 | Kia EV3 | 2,257 | new | 31 | 2,686 | new | 22 | 28 |
| 22 | Hyundai Kona | 2,234 | + 53.5% | 20 | 4,375 | + 27.5% | 21 | 20 |
| 23 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 1,463 | + 553.1% | 39 | 1,538 | + 484.8% | 26 | 26 |
| 24 | Hyundai Casper | 1,293 | – 58.5% | 24 | 2,219 | – 63.8% | 24 | 13 |
| 25 | Chevrolet Trax Crossover | 1,120 | – 22.6% | 23 | 2,073 | – 43.9% | 25 | 23 |
| 26 | Kia EV6 | 1,100 | + 609.7% | 40 | 1,172 | + 537.0% | 31 | 31 |
| 27 | Kia Niro | 854 | – 9.1% | 27 | 1,425 | – 34.7% | 28 | 25 |
| 28 | Kia Morning | 765 | – 32.9% | 22 | 2,249 | – 4.5% | 23 | 24 |
| 29 | KGM Rexton Sports | 709 | – 28.7% | 25 | 1,526 | – 35.2% | 27 | 29 |
| 30 | Hyundai Venue | 697 | + 115.8% | 26 | 1,391 | + 115.3% | 29 | 39 |
| 31 | Genesis G90 | 628 | + 3.8% | 28 | 1,182 | – 13.9% | 30 | 33 |
| 32 | KGM Torres | 579 | – 62.4% | 29 | 1,126 | – 62.5% | 32 | 27 |
| 33 | Renault Korea QM6 | 454 | – 43.5% | 34 | 717 | – 48.0% | 35 | 34 |
| 34 | KGM Torres EVX | 440 | + 10.0% | 49 | 452 | + 5.9% | 38 | 36 |
| 35 | KGM Tivoli | 430 | – 22.0% | 32 | 723 | – 38.6% | 34 | 35 |
| 36 | KGM Actyon | 355 | new | 30 | 833 | new | 33 | 37 |
| 37 | Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 346 | + 253.1% | 48 | 358 | + 251.0% | 39 | 38 |
| 38 | Chevrolet Trailblazer | 302 | – 17.7% | 35 | 501 | – 39.5% | 37 | 40 |
| 39 | Renault Korea Arkana | 260 | – 71.3% | 33 | 532 | – 71.7% | 36 | 32 |
| 40 | Hyundai Nexo | 248 | – 25.1% | 44 | 272 | – 18.3% | 41 | 41 |
| 41 | Hyundai ST1 | 201 | new | 51 | 208 | new | 43 | 49 |
| 42 | Hyundai Ioniq 9 | 181 | new | – | 181 | new | 45 | – |
| 43 | Kia K9 | 164 | – 14.1% | 36 | 287 | – 21.6% | 40 | 44 |
| 44 | Genesis G70 | 162 | – 36.2% | 38 | 269 | – 46.8% | 42 | 42 |
| 45 | KGM Rexton | 95 | – 45.7% | 37 | 204 | – 42.5% | 44 | 46 |
| 46 | Kia EV9 | 88 | – 29.0% | 43 | 125 | – 78.2% | 46 | 45 |
| 47 | KGM Korando | 63 | – 28.4% | 41 | 107 | – 44.3% | 47 | 47 |
| 48 | Renault Korea SM6 | 36 | – 63.6% | 45 | 56 | – 71.0% | 48 | 50 |
| 49 | GMC Sierra | 29 | + 20.8% | 50 | 39 | + 2.6% | 50 | 54 |
| 50 | Renault Korea Master | 25 | n/a | 52 | 31 | n/a | 52 | 53 |
| 51 | Chevrolet Tahoe | 17 | + 142.9% | 47 | 31 | + 121.4% | 51 | 55 |
| 52 | Genesis GV60 | 16 | + 60.0% | 53 | 18 | + 5.9% | 54 | 51 |
| 53 | Chevrolet Colorado | 10 | – 9.1% | 46 | 24 | – 51.0% | 53 | 52 |
| 54 | KGM Korando EV | 5 | new | – | 5 | new | 55 | 56 |
| 55 | Chevrolet Traverse | 3 | – 97.4% | 42 | 42 | – 82.2% | 49 | 48 |
South Korea February 2025 – foreign models:
| Pos | Model | Feb-25 | /24 | Jan | 2025 | /24 | Pos | FY24 |
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 2,040 | + 2549.4% | – | 2,040 | + 2549.4% | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Mercedes E Class | 1,907 | + 98.6% | 2 | 3,345 | + 107.5% | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | BMW 5 Series | 1,719 | – 20.4% | 1 | 3,523 | + 7.2% | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Mercedes GLC | 726 | + 170.9% | 3 | 1,367 | + 132.1% | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Lexus ES | 620 | + 43.5% | 4 | 1,252 | + 26.7% | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | BMW X3 | 603 | + 32.2% | 6 | 1,135 | + 34.3% | 6 | 12 |
| 7 | BMW X5 | 481 | – 20.2% | 5 | 1,045 | – 12.0% | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Volvo XC60 | 481 | – 3.6% | 8 | 897 | – 0.4% | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | BMW 3 Series | 455 | + 82.7% | 10 | 843 | + 84.9% | 10 | 10 |
| 10 | BMW 7 Series | 408 | + 22.9% | 7 | 871 | + 107.9% | 9 | 15 |
| 11 | BMW X7 | 402 | + 34.9% | 9 | 797 | + 16.4% | 11 | 14 |
| 12 | Lexus NX | 387 | + 48.3% | 15 | 659 | + 31.3% | 14 | 16 |
| 13 | VW ID.4 | 375 | + 5257.1% | n/a | 377 | + 5285.7% | 25 | 27 |
| 14 | Mercedes CLE | 353 | + 275.5% | 16 | 600 | + 538.3% | 16 | 25 |
| 15 | Mercedes GLE | 340 | – 30.0% | 11 | 708 | – 30.4% | 12 | 11 |
| 16 | BMW X6 | 340 | + 14.1% | 12 | 660 | + 19.1% | 13 | 20 |
| 17 | Mercedes S Class | 340 | + 2.7% | 13 | 636 | + 19.8% | 15 | 9 |
| 18 | BMW X4 | 323 | + 8.8% | 18 | 554 | – 9.9% | 17 | 17 |
| 19 | Mercedes G Class | 279 | + 1368.4% | 14 | 552 | + 557.1% | 18 | 26 |
| 20 | Ford Explorer | 269 | + 407.5% | 19 | 491 | + 263.7% | 19 | 40 |
| 21 | Mini Cooper Hatch | 265 | + 10.0% | 25 | 415 | – 17.3% | 23 | 21 |
| 22 | Audi Q4 e-Tron | 258 | + 235.1% | n/a | 299 | + 288.3% | 31 | 22 |
| 23 | BMW X1 | 249 | + 31.1% | 24 | 413 | + 31.9% | 24 | 32 |
| 24 | Mini Countryman | 245 | – 36.7% | 44 | 329 | – 37.5% | 28 | 24 |
| 25 | Honda Accord | 230 | + 489.7% | 33 | 334 | + 244.3% | 27 | 55 |
| 26 | Volvo XC40 | 229 | + 50.7% | 21 | 425 | + 62.2% | 22 | 28 |
| 27 | Toyota Camry | 221 | + 57.9% | 27 | 346 | + 16.1% | 26 | 31 |
| 28 | Porsche Cayenne | 217 | – 55.7% | 17 | 461 | – 45.6% | 20 | 19 |
| 29 | Porsche Panamera | 210 | + 366.7% | 20 | 426 | + 432.5% | 21 | 43 |
| 30 | BMW 4 Series | 201 | + 58.3% | 32 | 306 | + 64.5% | 30 | 38 |
| 31 | BMW 2 Series Active Tourer | 178 | + 119.8% | 31 | 286 | + 125.2% | 33 | 54 |
| 32 | Lexus RX | 149 | – 3.9% | 30 | 265 | – 2.2% | 35 | 36 |
| 33 | Range Rover | 148 | + 146.7% | 35 | 247 | + 36.5% | 36 | 39 |
| 34 | Mercedes GLS | 142 | + 35.2% | 26 | 271 | + 14.3% | 34 | 44 |
| 35 | BMW 1 Series | 140 | + 100.0% | 22 | 328 | + 203.7% | 29 | 48 |
| 36 | Mercedes C Class | 127 | – 76.2% | 36 | 224 | – 71.2% | 38 | 18 |
| 37 | Volvo S90 | 124 | – 0.8% | 23 | 288 | + 2.9% | 32 | 30 |
| 38 | Mercedes A Class | 122 | – 44.3% | 40 | 212 | – 47.7% | 39 | 29 |
| 39 | Porsche Taycan | 120 | + 150.0% | 28 | 242 | + 165.9% | 37 | 47 |
| 40 | Audi A6 | 115 | + 105.4% | n/a | 151 | n/a | n/a | 37 |
| 41 | BMW iX1 | 114 | + 11300.0% | n/a | 140 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 42 | Land Rover Defender | 110 | + 12.2% | 43 | 197 | + 14.5% | 40 | 53 |
| 43 | Tesla Model 3 | 109 | n/a | n/a | 109 | n/a | n/a | 4 |
| 44 | Lexus UX | 108 | + 96.4% | n/a | 159 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 45 | BMW i5 | 104 | – 24.1% | 39 | 196 | – 40.1% | n/a | 51 |
| 46 | Toyota Crown | 104 | + 35.1% | n/a | 150 | – 7.4% | n/a | 50 |
| 47 | Volvo XC90 | 103 | + 19.8% | 45 | 179 | – 15.6% | n/a | 42 |
| 48 | Range Rover Sport | 99 | + 98.0% | n/a | 160 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 49 | Toyota Prius | 94 | + 9.3% | n/a | 149 | – 33.2% | n/a | n/a |
| 50 | Porsche Macan | 87 | + 3.6% | n/a | 87 | – 54.5% | n/a | n/a |
Source: KAIDA, Manufacturers
