Seoul: Kia Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, reported a 0.8 percent decrease in its November sales compared to the previous year, attributing the decline to weaker demand. The company, which is an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., disclosed that it sold 262,065 vehicles in November, a slight drop from the 264,186 units sold during the same month last year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the automaker experienced a 1.6 percent decrease in domestic sales, totaling 47,256 units compared to 48,015 units sold in the previous year. Overseas sales also saw a decline of 0.8 percent, with 213,889 units sold compared to 215,595 the previous year. Notably, the sales figures for special-purpose vehicles fell significantly by 59.7 percent, with only 576 units sold compared to 801 in the same period last year.

Despite the drop in November sales, Kia's cumulative sales from January to November showed a 1.8 percent increase, reaching 2,898,755 vehicles compared to 2,848,755 in the same period of the previous year. A Kia official expressed the company's intention to enhance sales performance by focusing on its lineup of eco-friendly vehicles. This includes hybrid sport utility vehicle models and the EV5 and PV5 electric vehicles, which are integral to Kia's strategy to boost future sales.