Kia's "The New Ray" / Courtesy of Kia
Domestic sales of mini vehicles in South Korea fell to a record low in 2025 amid a lack of new models and the popularity of small sport utility vehicles (SUVs), officials said Tuesday.
A total of 74,600 new mini passenger cars were sold in the country last year, down 24.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) and the Carisyou Data Lab.
It marked the lowest annual sales figure since relevant data became available and the first time in about two decades that sales fell to the 70,000 level.
Minicar sales peaked at 216,221 units in 2012 before entering a prolonged decline, dropping to 146,722 units in 2017 and continuing downward through 2020. Sales briefly rebounded following the launch of new models in recent years but fell again below 100,000 in 2024.
Officials attributed the decline to production delays, a lack of new models and the strong popularity of small SUVs.
No new minicar models have been launched in South Korea since the release of the Casper in 2021 by Hyundai Motor Co. and the Ray EV in 2023 by Kia Corp.
The trend, however, has shown signs of shifting this year, as minicar sales gained 10.9 percent on-year to 8,211 units in January.
"Car prices have risen sharply due to larger body sizes and upgraded features, which appeared to have pushed more consumers to consider mini cars again," an industry official said.
Source: Korea Times News
