Kia revenue rises as operating profit dips 16.3%
Consolidated revenue for the first half of 2026 reached 62.5389 trillion won.
The automotive manufacturer Kia reported consolidated revenue of 62.5389 trillion won for the first half of 2026, representing a 9.0% increase compared to the same period last year. The company attributed this growth to a rise in consolidated sales volume and higher average selling prices driven by expanded sales of electric and hybrid vehicles in developed markets.
Operating profit fell 16.3% year-on-year to 4.8336 trillion won. The company said this decline resulted from the impact of US tariffs, increased incentives in overseas markets, and foreign currency translation effects on sales warranty provisions caused by a sharp rise in the won-dollar exchange rate at the end of the period. Consequently, the operating profit margin dropped 2.4 percentage points to 7.7%.
In China, wholesale sales fell 1.3% year-on-year to 38,000 units due to reduced industry demand following the contraction of tax benefits for new energy vehicles. Despite this, the company increased its market share by 0.1 percentage points to 0.4%. Growth was seen in specific internal combustion models, with K3 sales increasing 106.4%, Seltos rising 46.1%, and KX1 growing 13.0%.
Consolidated cash flows from operating activities reached 7.1671 trillion won. The company spent 1.8482 trillion won on the acquisition of tangible assets and 485.998 billion won on intangible assets during the period. Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period stood at 16.0794 trillion won.
For the second half of 2026, the company plans to launch updated versions of the K5 and Tasman to strengthen its volume models. Kia intends to maintain electric vehicle sales momentum through electric vehicle public offerings and expand its PBV lineup with additional PV5 models. In China, the company plans to release improved versions of two RV models and expand export volumes from its Chinese plant by increasing export models to seven and diversifying regions toward the Asia-Pacific.