Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. sold more than 100,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe in the first half of the year as the Korean automakers stepped up efforts to strengthen their presence in the region, the companies said Sunday. A total of 131,032 EVs were sold in Europe during the first six months of 2026, up a sharp 41.8 percent from 92,365 recorded in the previous half, according to Hyundai and Kia. Kia's EV3 compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) was the bestselling model with 27,121 units sold, followed by Hyundai's Inster subcompact SUV with 16,594 units and Kia's EV4 sedan with 14,502 units. If the current sales pace continues through the end of the year, the companies expect annual EV sales in Europe to surpass 200,000 units for the first time since they entered the European EV market in 2014. Hyundai and Kia first topped 100,000 annual EV sales in Europe in 2021, and their combined sales have risen steadily since then, reaching 183,912 units in 2025. Their cumulative EV sales in Europe surpassed the 1 million mark through May. The automakers, which belong to Hyundai Motor Group,