Hybrid sales saw a remarkable increase.
In November, hybrid models and pure electric vehicles accounted for more than half of the imported car market in South Korea. According to a report by the Korea Imported Automobile Association, the number of new registrations for imported passenger cars in November reached 24,740, marking a 16% increase compared to the previous month’s 21,329. The cumulative sales figure until November stands at 243,811 units, a decrease of 3.9% from 253,795 units during the same period last year.
The most significant shift in the imported car market in November was that hybrid models surpassed gasoline models. Hybrid sales reached 9,996 units (40.4%), slightly surpassing gasoline sales, which totaled 9,933 units (40.1%). Additionally, pure electric models recorded 2,471 units (10.0%), signaling that half of the new imported car sales were electrified models, marking a proactive step towards reducing carbon footprints.
In terms of sales by country, European cars dominated with 20,833 units (84.2%), indicating a strong preference among customers for European automobiles.
The competition between Mercedes-Benz and BMW continued. In November, Mercedes-Benz sold 7,168 units, an increase of 8.4% from the previous month’s 6,612. BMW recorded 7,032 units, a significant jump of 17.5% from 5,985 units the previous month. Year-to-date cumulative sales show BMW (69,546 units) narrowly leading ahead of Mercedes-Benz (68,156 units), suggesting that the rivalry will persist through December.
The best-selling model in November was the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, with sales of 3,092 units, followed by the BMW 5 Series (1,897 units) and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (796 units).
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr