Kia Corp

Kia America has announced pricing for the gas-powered 2027 Sportage, with the LX FWD model starting at $28,990 MSRP, excluding the $1,495 destination fee. The X-Line trim now includes a Panoramic Sunroof and Smart Power Liftgate as standard, aligning it with the Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid versions, and adds a new Road Rider Brown exterior color. Other trims range from the LX AWD at $30,790 to the X-Pro AWD at $39,890. The 2027 Sportage ICE remains largely carryover, with these updates enhancing its appeal.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced a significant expansion of its Vehicle-to-Everything program, adding Bidirectional Energy and PowerFlex as approved partners and making EVs from Kia, Volvo, Polestar, and Nissan newly eligible. The expansion also includes new General Motors models such as the Chevrolet Bolt, Cadillac Celestiq, and Cadillac Escalade IQL, building on existing options from Ford, Tesla, Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. Customers can now enroll through June 30, 2027, with residential incentives of $2,500 upfront, or $3,000 for those in disadvantaged communities, plus a $1,500 Early Adopter Incentive for the first 250 enrollees. Newly eligible vehicle and charger combinations qualify for up to $13,000 in additional incentives through California Energy Commission grant funding. PG&E has also advanced V2X solutions for commercial and fleet customers, including work with school districts in Fremont, Oakland, and San Francisco to support bidirectionally capable electric school bus fleets.

Hyundai Motor is considering expanding production capacity at its Georgia assembly plant from 500,000 vehicles annually to between 700,000 and 800,000 units by 2028, CEO José Muñoz told CNBC on Thursday. The South Korean automaker said following publication of the interview that the plans are under consideration but not yet confirmed. At the upper end of that range, the Georgia Metaplant would leapfrog rivals including Tesla and Toyota Motor to claim the top spot among U.S. vehicle assembly plants measured by capacity. Muñoz said President Donald Trump's tariffs, including a 15% levy on imports from South Korea, have accelerated the company's localization plans. Any such expansion would be funded through Hyundai's already-announced $26 billion U.S. investment commitment running to 2028. Hyundai has targeted a domestic production share of at least 80% of the vehicles it moves in the U.S. market by 2030, compared with roughly 40% in 2024. The $7.6 billion Metaplant, which Hyundai first announced in 2022, is currently turning out the all-electric Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 models alongside the Kia Sportage hybrid. Under the existing 500,000-unit framework, the Georgia campus would employ upward of 8,500 people directly, with a further 6,900 positions supported at supplier facilities nearby. Hyundai is also evaluating additional investment for body-on-frame vehicles such as trucks and SUVs at a location separate from the Georgia plant, though Muñoz declined to provide further details.

Kia America reported July 2026 sales of 75,857 vehicles, a 7 percent increase from the same month last year. Sales through Kia retailers grew 8 percent year-over-year. Through the first seven months of 2026, Kia sold a total of 506,584 units, a 4 percent gain over the same period in 2025.

Kia Corporation reported a 2.3% rise in net profits to KRW 2,327.8 trillion for the second quarter of 2026, up from KRW 2,268.2 trillion a year earlier. Operating profits fell 4.9% to KRW 2,628.5 trillion, while global sales revenues rose 12.6% to a record KRW 33,037.0 trillion. Global wholesale deliveries increased 4.5% to 851,639 vehicles, with electrified vehicle sales jumping 60% to 296,000 units, accounting for 35% of total sales. The company expects solid second-half results to meet its full-year target of 3.35 million global vehicle sales, supported by new model launches and sustained demand for battery electric and hybrid vehicles.

The 2027 Kia Telluride has been named one of Newsweek's Best New SUVs in its 2026 Readers' Choice Awards. The honor was determined through a four-week public voting period in which Newsweek readers selected vehicles that stood out for quality, performance, and overall ownership experience. Russell Wager, vice president of marketing at Kia America, said the recognition validates that the second-generation Telluride has raised the benchmark set by the first generation. The all-new 2027 Telluride features bold new styling, a more spacious and refined interior, advanced driver assistance and connected technologies, and an available turbo-hybrid powertrain.

Kia delivered 49,382 units in May 2026, achieving 14.9% growth and becoming Europe's fastest-growing top-10 automotive brand. The overall European market grew by just 3.6% in the same period, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. Kia's Europe-wide market share rose from 3.9% to 4.3%, while its EU-only share increased from 3.6% to 4.1%. Electrified powertrains drove the performance, with battery-electric vehicle sales reaching 15,443 units, led by the EV3 at 4,770 units. Across all electrified powertrains, Kia sold 30,995 units, with the Sportage HEV leading hybrids at 6,869 units.

Kia has unveiled the refreshed 2027 Niro hybrid crossover, featuring updated styling, expanded technology, and a continued focus on hybrid power. The exterior adopts a bolder look with redesigned front and rear fascias and Star Map lighting signatures, while the interior gains a new panoramic curved display with a standard 12.3-inch infotainment screen and an available 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Newly available driver assistance technologies include Highway Drive Assist 2 and Forward Collision Avoidance 2, and the available Kia Connected Car Navigation Cockpit supports over-the-air updates. The 2027 Niro is offered exclusively as a hybrid, pairing a 1.6-liter engine with an electric motor for a combined 139 horsepower, and the lineup adds a new S trim alongside LX, EX, and SX models. It is expected to go on sale this summer.

Kia America reported its best-ever June and first-half sales in the U.S. market, with June sales reaching 70,507 units, a 10 percent increase year-over-year, and first-half sales totaling 430,727 units, up 3 percent. The record performance was driven by strong demand for hybrid and electrified models, with hybrid sales surging 187 percent in June and 115 percent in the first half. Key models such as the Sportage hybrid, Seltos, Telluride, and Carnival achieved their best-ever June sales. The company expects momentum to continue with the full-scale launch of the all-new Seltos in July and the expansion of its hybrid lineup.

Kia Corp. sales climbed more than 4% from January to May even as global auto demand fell about 5%, pushing its global market share above 4%. Chief Executive Officer Song Ho-sung said at the Busan Mobility Show that surging gasoline prices during the Iran war are lifting demand for electric vehicles in Europe and hybrids in the US. In Europe, Kia's sales jumped more than 10% in May, supported by a broader rollout of mass-market EV models. In the US, Kia is expanding hybrid models, including the Telluride large SUV, and targeting eight hybrid models by 2030. Kia is also positioning specialized commercial fleets as a next growth driver through software-defined, modular purpose-built vehicles, planning to roll out the PV5, PV7 and PV9 platforms in phases with more than 40 localized commercial variants.

The 2026 Kia Carnival and K4 have been named segment winners in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study, with the Carnival topping the Minivan segment and the K4 leading the Compact Car segment. The K4 also ranked as the second highest model in initial quality across the entire industry. Additionally, the Kia Mexico manufacturing plant in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, where the K4 is produced, received the Gold Plant Quality Award for the highest initial quality in North and South America. The awards reflect the fewest quality issues reported during the first 90 days of ownership, and come as both models have posted record-breaking sales in recent months.