Kia vs Tata Motors: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Kia reported ~$81B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$5.4B of net income. Tata Motors reported ~$9.7B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$351.5M of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Kia
- Latest revenue
- ~$81B (FY2025)
- Net income
- ~$5.4B
- Net margin
- 6.6%
- Revenue growth
- +13.1% a year, FY2021–FY2025
Tata Motors
- Latest revenue
- ~$9.7B (FY2026)
- Net income
- ~$351.5M
- Net margin
- 3.6%
- Revenue growth
- +3.2% a year, FY2024–FY2026
Financial summary
Kia
Kia's revenue has risen every year since 2020: from ~$49.6 billion (KRW 69.9 trillion) in 2021 to ~$76.3 billion (KRW 107.4 trillion) in 2024 and a record ~$81 billion (KRW 114.1 trillion) in 2025 (+6.2%). Profit has not kept up. Operating profit fell 28.3% in 2025 to ~$6.45 billion (KRW 9.08 trillion), and the margin dropped from 11.8% to 8.0% as US tariffs and incentives ate into earnings. Net profit was about $5.36 billion (KRW 7.55 trillion). The squeeze continued into 2026. Q1 revenue was a record ~$20.9 billion (KRW 29.50 trillion) (+5.3%), but operating profit fell 26.7% to ~$1.57 billion (KRW 2.21 trillion). Q2 revenue reached ~$23.5 billion (KRW 33.04 trillion) (+12.6%) while operating profit fell 4.9% to ~$1.87 billion (KRW 2.63 trillion). The shares dropped about 13% on the day of the Q2 results. Shareholder returns are still high: the 2025 dividend was KRW 6,800 per share, a 35% consolidated payout ratio, and Kia has been cancelling treasury shares, cutting issued shares from 405.4 million in 2022 to 390.4 million at the end of 2025.
Tata Motors
The post-demerger Tata Motors Limited reported FY2026 (year to March 31, 2026) revenue from operations of ~$9.73B (INR83,855 Cr), up 44% from ~$6.75B (INR58,217 Cr), as wholesales rose 14% to about 428,000 units. The jump partly reflects the changed perimeter after the demerger, so it is not a clean like-for-like growth rate. Profit for the year fell 5.2% to ~$351M (INR3,030 Cr), weighed by one-time demerger costs (about $111M (INR960 Cr) in Q3) and new labour-code charges. Momentum carried into Q1 FY2027: revenue rose about 20% to ~$2.39B (INR20,576 Cr) and attributable profit rose 83% to ~$297M (INR2,560 Cr), helped by a one-time gain linked to Tata Capital, while commodity costs squeezed margins.
Revenue and profit by year
Kia
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$81B | ~$5.4B | 6.6% | +6.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$76.3B | ~$6.9B | 9.1% | +7.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$70.9B | ~$6.2B | 8.8% | +15.3% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$61.5B | ~$3.8B | 6.2% | +23.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$49.6B | ~$3.4B | 6.8% | — | Source |
Tata Motors
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$9.7B | ~$351.5M | 3.6% | +44.0% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$6.8B | ~$370.6M | 5.5% | -26.1% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$9.1B | — | 0.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Kia
- Global Vehicle Sales
primary revenue source
Kia generates most revenue from selling SUVs, passenger cars, hybrids, EVs, and commercial vehicles through regional subsidiaries, importers, dealers, and fleet channels.
- Parts, Service, and Accessories
recurring support revenue
Genuine parts, aftersales service, accessories, and warranty-related activity provide higher-repeat revenue tied to Kia's installed vehicle base.
- Future Mobility and PBVs
emerging growth area
Dedicated EVs, software-defined vehicles, purpose-built vehicles, and connected services support Kia's longer-term mobility strategy.
Tata Motors
- Trucks and small commercial vehicles
Primary revenue source
Revenue from trucks, pickups, small commercial vehicles and heavy vehicles.
- Buses and vans
Major segment
Bus and van sales to public transport, schools, fleets and private operators.
- Spares and services
Recurring support stream
Parts, maintenance, service contracts, uptime products and dealer service revenue.
- Connected and non-vehicular businesses
Strategic growth stream
Fleet Edge, Tata OK, aggregates and other mobility services.
Business model and strategy
Kia
How it makes money
Kia makes money mainly by building and selling vehicles wholesale to its regional sales subsidiaries, importers and franchised dealers, which then sell to retail and fleet buyers. SUVs and RVs such as the Sportage, Sorento, Seltos, Carnival and Telluride make up most of the mix and earn more per unit than small sedans.
Growth strategy
Kia's current strategy, set out at the 2026 CEO Investor Day, uses several powertrains instead of only EVs. It plans to grow EVs (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, EV9 and later models) and hybrids together, add a PBV line of modular electric vans starting with the PV5, and build up software-defined vehicles, autonomous driving and robotics as longer-term businesses.
Competitive advantage
Kia's main advantages are its scale inside Hyundai Motor Group and the way it can switch powertrains easily. Sharing platforms, the E-GMP 800V EV architecture, batteries, chips and logistics (Hyundai Glovis) with Hyundai lowers development and purchasing costs. Factories in Korea, the US (Georgia), Mexico, Slovakia and India let Kia shift production between combustion, hybrid and electric models.
Tata Motors
How it makes money
Tata Motors -- following an October 2025 demerger that split the historic company in two -- now refers specifically to the commercial-vehicle business: trucks, buses, and other heavy vehicles sold mostly to the Indian domestic market, plus a proposed international expansion through the pending Iveco Group acquisition.
Growth strategy
Tata Motors is growing through next-generation trucks, buses, electric and alternative-fuel commercial vehicles, Fleet Edge, service parts, exports, operational discipline and the planned Iveco expansion.
Competitive advantage
Tata Motors' advantage is its scale in Indian commercial vehicles, deep dealer and service reach, Tata brand trust, engineering base and ability to bundle vehicles, spares, fleet tools and service.
Questions about Kia vs Tata Motors
Which company has higher revenue — Kia Corporation or Tata Motors Limited?
Kia Corporation reported ~$81B (FY2025), while Tata Motors Limited reported ~$9.7B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Kia Corporation is the larger business, with Tata Motors Limited reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of Kia Corporation vs Tata Motors Limited?
Kia Corporation's market capitalisation stands at $32.4B, while Tata Motors Limited's is $17.5B. Kia Corporation carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Tata Motors Limited.
Which is more financially efficient — Kia Corporation or Tata Motors Limited?
Kia Corporation generates $1.52M / employee in revenue per employee, while Tata Motors Limited generates $240k / employee. Kia Corporation shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Kia Corporation and Tata Motors Limited make money?
Kia Corporation and Tata Motors Limited generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Kia Corporation: Kia makes money mainly by building and selling vehicles wholesale to its regional sales subsidiaries, importers and franchised dealers, which then sell to retail and fleet buyers. Tata Motors Limited: Tata Motors -- following an October 2025 demerger that split the historic company in two -- now refers specifically to the commercial-vehicle business: trucks, buses, and other heavy vehicles sold mostly to the Indian domestic market, plus a proposed international expansion through the pending Iveco Group acquisition.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Kia Corporation or Tata Motors Limited?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Kia Corporation trades at 0.4x P/S and Tata Motors Limited at 1.8x P/S. Tata Motors Limited commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Kia Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Kia Corporation bigger than Tata Motors Limited?
By last reported revenue, Kia Corporation (~$81B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Tata Motors Limited (~$9.7B (FY2026)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Kia vs Tata Motors overview