Kia Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, said Monday its sales soared 78 percent last month from a year earlier on a low base effect and solid demand for SUVs.

Kia sold 249,734 vehicles in April, up from 140,262 units a year ago, the company said in a statement.

Domestic sales reached 51,128 units last month, climbing 1.5 percent from a year earlier.

Overseas sales vaulted 120.9 percent on-year to 198,606 units due to the low base effect from last year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the automotive industry, it said.

Kia's compact Sportage SUV was the bestselling model, selling 27,955 units in the global market.

Kia said it will step up promotions for its new large K8 sedan and all-electric EV6, scheduled to be launched in the latter half of this year, to boost sales momentum. (Yonhap)