Kia's Oct. sales rise 10% on strong SUV demand

Kia said Monday its vehicle sales rose 10.3 percent from a year earlier in October, driven by strong overseas demand for its sport utility vehicle (SUV) models. Kia sold a total of 291,219 vehicles last month, up from 264,017 units a year earlier, the company said in a press release. The figure includes sales of military vehicles. Robust demand for the Sportage, Sorento and Seltos SUVs boosted the monthly sales, the carmaker said. Domestic sales rose 27.5 percent on-year to 51,007 units, while overseas sales climbed 7.2 percent to 239,308 units, it said. Military vehicle sales gained 12.9 percent on-year to 904 units. Looking ahead, Kia said it will seek to maintain sales growth in the fourth quarter by launching gasoline-hybrid models in the United States and electrified cars in Europe.