Data from the China Passenger Car Association shows that in the first half of this year, domestic passenger car retail sales accumulated 8.75 million vehicles, a year-on-year decline of 20%; the fuel vehicle market encountered an "avalanche", with June retail sales plummeting 39%. The "price war" ran throughout the year, significantly compressing industry profit margins.

Amid widespread gloom, a car company submitted a "different" performance report: June sales reached 257,900 vehicles, a 15.8% month-on-month increase and 11% year-on-year increase, breaking through 20,000 vehicles monthly for 3 consecutive months; cumulative deliveries in the first half reached 118,100 vehicles, achieving both year-on-year and month-on-month growth for 2 consecutive months. It is not a new force, nor a local independent brand, but Yueda Kia.

If we elevate our focus to a global dimension, Kia's market performance is even more shocking. In the first half of 2026, Kia's global cumulative sales reached 1.631 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 2.7%, setting a new high for the first half of the year. Among them, Sportage and Seltos ranked first and second globally with 303,200 and 177,200 vehicles respectively.

Global Quality: Entering an Upward Channel

On one side is the high-singing march in the global market, on the other is the counter-attack in the Chinese market. Nowadays, Yueda Kia has already changed its thinking mode: through measures such as strengthening brand image, improving product competitiveness, expanding service channels, and optimizing user experience, showing a steady development momentum and strong corporate resilience.

In the first half of this year, Yueda Kia was the first to launch a nationwide "One-Price" car purchase policy, returning pricing power to the brand so that consumers can enjoy the bottom price upon entering the store. Taking the new Kia Sportage with global cumulative sales exceeding 8 million vehicles as an example, the "One-Price" launched in April is as low as 109,900 RMB, and the main selling model 1.5T Prestige Edition "One-Price" is only 124,900 RMB.

In addition, multiple benefits such as fuel card subsidies and purchase tax reductions have also been implemented. In return for Chinese consumers with super-value car purchase plans, Yueda Kia has effectively lowered the threshold for car purchase, making prices more transparent. Benefiting from this, the sales of multiple star models of Yueda Kia increased significantly compared to the same period last year, which also confirms the effectiveness of its nationwide "One-Price" strategy.

It is worth mentioning that the new Kia Sportage, inheriting the 33-year history and 5 generations of "Sportage", has realized 13 configuration upgrades compared to the old model in terms of styling design, space experience, smart technology, safety configuration, etc., further meeting Chinese users' needs for more comfortable and smarter travel.

Even more surprisingly, after launching for more than 100 days, the new Kia Sportage has "zero customer complaints" on new car quality. This is not relying on luck, but the power of quality control, fully confirming Yueda Kia's excellent product quality, while also highlighting Yueda Kia's third factory's globally leading manufacturing standards and quality control strength.

As a global core production base of Kia, Yueda Kia's third factory fully benchmarks against international first-class manufacturing standards, introducing advanced tools such as Kia Global Quality Management System (GQMS), MES manufacturing execution system, IQIS production completion system, etc., building a lifecycle quality management system covering R&D, manufacturing to after-sales.

"Global Quality" is the standard carved into every screw nut of Yueda Kia: using high quality, high intelligence, and high value to respond to Chinese users' diverse expectations for quality travel; relying on the globally unified R&D and manufacturing system and rigorous verification processes, letting domestic and overseas consumers share identical car-building strength.

Dual Drive: Running a Growth Curve

Domestic sales and export sales moving forward side by side is the main theme of Yueda Kia's development in the first half of this year. As of now, Yueda Kia has exported over 617,000 vehicles in cumulative, export sales exceeding 6.79 billion US dollars, building an export matrix composed of EV5, Sportage, Seltos, K5, Sonet, and Rio, covering 91 countries and regions including Australia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Engine exports were also accomplished with remarkable achievements. In June 2026, Yueda Kia exported 7,491 engines, accumulating exports of about 531,000 units, mainly sold to countries such as Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Kazakhstan, Turkey, etc.

Domestic sales stabilizing the basic block, exports opening the ceiling, this "Dual Drive" pattern can not only hedge against the price war competition pressure in the domestic existing market but also rely on scaled exports to reduce manufacturing costs, forming a steady growth loop of internal and external markets feeding each other and risk dispersion, becoming the core confidence of Yueda Kia's counter-trend racing.

In addition to holding the two growth curves of domestic stock deep cultivation and global incremental blue ocean, Yueda Kia also has remarkable achievements in channel ecosystem construction. On one hand, continuously deepening cooperation with large dealer groups represented by United Crown, Lan Chi, Jiangsu Zhixing, Guoao, Zhongchi, etc.; on the other hand, continuously strengthening the service network and promoting the downscaling of standard services.

In the first half of this year, amidst an environment of fierce price wars and continuous news of dealer network exits, Yueda Kia added 28 outlets, especially the first global SI 2.0 standard flagship store built in Guangxi with Changle Group in April, which filled the blank of high-quality travel services in the Guangxi region.

Healthy channels are the foundation of Yueda Kia's sustainable growth; while improvement in service is also one of the decisive battlefields. In the first half of this year, Yueda Kia continuously optimized the pre-sales, during-sales, and after-sales full-stage service ecosystem. In pre-sales and during-sales links, focusing on optimizing customer experience around key touchpoints such as store arrival experience, trial ride, and signing delivery; in the after-sales link, mainly focusing on service management system upgrade, service quality control optimization, service facility implementation, improving service experience.

Sports Marketing: Localization Emotional Connection

Looking at Kia's sports marketing, it exactly forms a subtle mirror echo with its domestic and foreign sales dual-wheel drive logic. In 2026, the 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup is in full swing. As an official partner cooperating with FIFA for nearly 20 years, Kia sponsored 660 operating vehicles for this event.

In addition, it also brought a series of "World Cup Joint Gifts" for Chinese consumers, and provided purchase tax subsidies and oil card/electric card gifts, etc., for the 3 "One-Price" models New Sportage, K3, and Kia Xing, showing full sincerity for Chinese consumers. This move directly converts sports heat into store traffic, making the whole chain natural.

It is worth mentioning that as a FIFA partner for 20 years, Kia has the exclusive right to select official ball boy ball girls globally. In the knockout stages of this 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup, 11-year-old girl Liu Shuying appeared as the only Chinese official ball boy/girl, becoming a vivid vignette of Kia opening up global sports resources and building a bridge for cultural exchange between Chinese and foreign teenagers.

Global IP is not label-style sponsorship, but perceivable rights implementation. The moment Kia precisely lands this scarce right of ball boy selection on Chinese people, it completes the identity translation from sponsor to dream maker, letting consumers feel the temperature of the brand.

In addition to integrating global top-tier event resources, Yueda Kia also actively cultivates China's local sports events. To date, Yueda Kia has sponsored Yancheng Marathon for 6 consecutive years and been the main sponsor of the "Jiangsu Super League" Yancheng team for 2 consecutive years, extending the brand temperature to every participant inside and outside the arena.

Local events are not participation in the form of making up numbers, but emotional anchors of regional deep cultivation. As the base of Yueda Kia, Yancheng, the essence of deep cultivation of local events is doing "Community Brand Assets", thereby realizing localization emotional connection.

Epilogue: Waiting for the Wind, Better to Be the Wind

In the first half of 2026, the Chinese auto market's cold air was chilling, but Yueda Kia told the industry with a performance report of "concurrent year-on-year and month-on-month double growth": true long-termism is not waiting for the wind, but becoming the wind.

From the record half-year sales of 1.631 million vehicles globally to the counter-attack in the Chinese market; from the nationwide "One-Price" reshaping consumer trust to export business opening the growth ceiling; from the manufacturing heritage of global quality to the worry-free service experience of the full cycle - Yueda Kia's combination of these sets of moves supports the enterprise to walk out of the trough and build a solid growth chassis.

Deeply cultivated the Chinese market for 24 years, Yueda Kia has accumulated trust from over 6.85 million users. In the future, Yueda Kia will continue to refine in dimensions such as brand value, product quality, channel network, service experience, etc., bringing travel experiences far beyond expectations to more Chinese consumers.

Recently, Kia China announced that sales in June 2026 reached 25,791 units, with a month-over-month growth of 15.8% and a year-over-year growth of 11%. Single-month sales exceeded 20,000 units for 3 consecutive months, and cumulative sales from January to June reached 118,114 units. In the first half of this year, facing the overall downward pressure in the auto industry, Kia China firmly implemented the "In China, For China" strategy. Through measures such as strengthening brand image, improving product competitiveness, expanding service channels, and optimizing user experience, it achieved double growth in sales year-over-year and month-over-month for 2 consecutive months, showcasing steady development momentum and strong corporate resilience.

Meanwhile, facing the environment of overall pressure in the global auto market, Kia's global sales in June reached 295,720 units, and cumulative sales in the first half reached 1,630,988 units, growing 2.7% year-over-year against the trend, setting a new high for first-half sales again! Among them, Sportage and Seltos ranked first and second in Kia's global single-model sales with 303,203 units and 177,148 units respectively.

Currently, the 2026 US-Mexico-Canada World Cup is in full swing. As an official partner cooperating with the International Football Federation (FIFA) for nearly 20 years, Kia not only sponsored 660 operational vehicles for this tournament but also brought a "World Cup Co-branded Gift" to Chinese consumers: Consumers who visit the store for a test drive before July 31 can participate in the lottery to win prizes such as a purchase voucher worth up to 5,000 yuan, a Kia x World Cup x Adidas merchandise set; sharing test drive experiences, one can also receive a limited edition Kia x World Cup x Adidas official football. At the same time, Kia also provided a 2,500 yuan purchase tax subsidy for 3 "Fixed Price" models: New Sportage, K3, and Sonet, and gifted a 2,000 yuan fuel card / electric card to customer groups including university graduates, newlyweds, newborn families, as well as faculty, medical staff, media practitioners, etc., fully demonstrating full sincerity towards Chinese consumers.

It is worth mentioning that as a partner of the International Football Federation (FIFA) for nearly 20 years, Kia possesses exclusive rights to select official ball boys and girls globally. For this World Cup, Kia selected 104 teenagers aged 10 to 14 to serve as ball bearers globally. On July 3, the 2026 US-Mexico-Canada World Cup Knockout stage Round of 16 match between Spain and Austria was held at Los Angeles Stadium. Under the cheers of tens of thousands of fans, 11-year-old girl Liu Shuying, the only Chinese official ball bearer of this World Cup, walked onto the green field with world's top players and personally handed the match ball to the referee's hands.

In the first half of this year, from the nationwide "Fixed Price" car purchasing policy launched at the beginning of the new year to fuel card subsidies, purchase tax reductions, and multiple privileges successively implemented, Kia China continued to reward Chinese consumers with super-value car purchasing plans, effectively lowering consumers' car buying threshold, making prices more transparent, and car buying more worry-free. Thanks to a series of super-value car purchasing policies, sales of Kia's star models grew significantly compared to the same period last year. This also validates Kia's reliable global quality, excellent driving and riding comfort, outstanding fuel economy, and other advantages, which are winning recognition and trust from more and more Chinese consumers.

In addition to actively integrating global top-tier event resources, Kia China also deeply cultivates domestic Chinese sporting events. In the first half of this year, Kia China has sponsored the Yancheng Marathon for 6 consecutive years and became the main sponsor of the "Jiangsu Super League" Yancheng Team for 2 consecutive years. Not only providing all-round support for Yancheng local events, it also organized official volunteer shuttle fleets, invited children from special groups to watch Jiangsu Super League matches, planned the "Little Ball Boy Dreams Come True" Program, and created exclusive experience activities for car owner families such as free viewing, factory visits, new car test drives, extending the brand warmth to every participant inside and outside the venue, continuously conveying a positive and warm brand image.

In terms of products, Kia China combined Kia's global quality and China's intelligent technology advantages, using high-quality, high-intelligence, and high-value products to respond to Chinese users' diverse expectations for quality mobility. In April this year, the "Global Urban SUV Pioneer" with global cumulative sales exceeding 8 million units, the New Sportage from Kia, was relaunched. The new car inherited "Sportage"'s 33-year history and 5 generations of models' reliable quality, comprehensively improving in styling design, space experience, intelligent technology, safety configuration and other dimensions. The "Renewed Fixed Price" starts from as low as 109,900 yuan, and the main-selling 1.5T Prestige Edition "Fixed Price" is only 124,900 yuan. Compared to the old model, 13 configuration upgrades were implemented, further meeting Chinese users' needs for more comfortable and intelligent mobility.

It is worth noting that the Kia New Sportage has been on the market for over 100 days and still maintains the excellent result of "zero customer complaints" for new car quality. This not only proves its solid product quality but also highlights the world-leading manufacturing standards and quality control strength of Kia China No. 3 Factory. As Kia's global core production base, Kia China No. 3 Factory fully benchmarks against international first-class manufacturing standards, introducing advanced tools such as Kia Global Quality Management System (GQMS), MES Manufacturing Execution System, and IQIS Production Finish System, building a full lifecycle quality management system covering R&D, manufacturing to after-sales. It is precisely by embedding rigorous quality control standards throughout the entire production process that at the "2026 China Automotive Product Quality Trend Symposium" jointly hosted by China Auto Quality Network and Kearney Consulting, Kia China No. 3 Factory was rated as "2025 Automotive Quality Excellence Factory", highlighting its benchmark status in manufacturing quality among joint-venture enterprises.

It is also worth mentioning that on June 5, at the Israel "2026 Annual Car" selection, the Kia New Sportage stood out among competitors and won the "Annual Compact SUV" award, validating its comprehensively advanced product value and leading product power in the same class again!

In terms of channel construction, Kia China persisted in promoting the expansion and improvement of terminal channels, continuously deepening cooperation with large dealer groups represented by United Crown, Blue Pool, Jiangsu Zhixing, Guoao, Zhongchi, etc., strengthening service networks and promoting the deployment of standard services. In the first half of this year, Kia China partnered with partners to add 28 new outlets. In particular, the first Global SI 2.0 Standard Flagship Store jointly built by Kia and Longjiu Group in Guangxi since April this year not only filled the gap in high-quality mobility services in the Guangxi region but also brought efficient and convenient comprehensive service experiences to local users.

For a long time, Kia China has always regarded customer service as the cornerstone of the brand's long-termism. In the first half of this year, relying on globally unified high-quality service standards, Kia China continuously optimized the service ecosystem covering pre-sales, in-sales, and after-sales stages, creating high-quality service experiences for the full lifecycle. In pre-sales and in-sales stages, Kia China optimized customer experiences around key touchpoints such as store visits, test drives, signing, and delivery, gaining wide trust from consumers and industry authoritative institutions. In the 2026 China Purchase Customer Experience Index Research SM (PXI) released by J.D. Power, Kia scored 806 in Purchase Customer Experience Score, ranking fourth in mainstream traditional energy brands and second in joint-venture brands, continuously entering the top five mainstream brands and top two joint-venture brands of this list, showcasing deep accumulation and leading strength in user service and car buying experience fields.

（Source: J.D. Power China Purchase Customer Experience Index Research SM (PXI)）

In the after-sales service field, Kia China continuously brought more efficient and higher-quality service experiences to users around service management system upgrades, service quality control optimization, service facility implementation, and application. At the same time, by regularly holding Service Consultant Skills Competitions and Maintenance Technician Skills Competitions, Kia China continuously improved the service level of its service teams through the method of "promoting skills through competition, service upgrade". At the 12th Kia Global Skills Competition held this year, Maintenance Technician Guo Wenlei from Jinan Jinwantong Store won the overall silver medal of the competition, fully demonstrating Kia China's maintenance technicians' solid professional foundation and excellent service capabilities.

In the first half of this year, Kia China continued to consolidate the development pattern where domestic and foreign sales progressed together and continuously expanded global export business. To date, Kia China has cumulatively exported vehicles exceeding 617,000 units, with export sales exceeding 6.79 billion US dollars, building an export matrix consisting of 6 models including EV5, Sportage, Seltos, K5, Cerato, and Rio, covering 91 countries and regions worldwide including Australia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, etc. Engine exports also achieved remarkable results. In June, 7,491 units of engines were exported, with cumulative exports of about 531,000 units, sold to countries such as Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Kazakhstan, Turkey.

In addition, in the environment of overall volatility and adjustment in the auto industry, Kia China firmly implemented the people-oriented long-term development philosophy, focusing on building a workplace culture of harmony between enterprise and employees, mutual empowerment. At the Jiangsu Provincial Corporate Culture Excellent Results Launch Event held in April this year, Kia China won the "2024-2025 Jiangsu Provincial Corporate Culture Excellent Results First Prize" with the project "Building a New Communication Engine to Achieve Cultural Aggregation and Leap" for systematic innovation and excellent results in the field of corporate culture, becoming a benchmark example for corporate culture construction in joint-venture enterprises.

Deeply cultivating the Chinese market for 24 years, Kia China has cumulatively gained the trust of over 6.85 million users. In the future, Kia China will firmly implement the "In China, For China" development strategy, continuously improve in dimensions such as brand value, product quality, channel network, and service experience, bringing travel experiences far exceeding expectations to more Chinese consumers.