BMW reported a decline in sales compared to the previous month but maintained its leading position, while Mercedes-Benz saw a significant increase in sales but fell short of taking the lead.
The Korea Imported Automobile Association announced on the 4th that the number of new registrations for imported passenger cars in August increased by 1.3% from the previous month, totaling 22,263 units compared to 21,977 units. The cumulative registration by August this year totaled 169,892 units, a slight decline of 3% from 175,177 units during the same period last year.
BMW recorded 5,880 units, down 7.8% from 6,380 units the previous month. In contrast, Mercedes-Benz registered 5,286 units, reflecting a 21% increase from 4,369 units the previous month. Tesla saw a drastic drop to 2,208 units from 2,680 units the previous month, a decline of 17.8%.
When analyzing registrations by engine displacement, nearly half of the new import car buyers, totaling 10,769 units (48.4%), chose compact models with lower maintenance costs, under 2,000cc. By country of origin, European brands led with 16,545 units (74.3%), indicating that the majority of import car buyers opted for European vehicles. Regarding fuel type, hybrids accounted for 11,041 units (49.6%), suggesting that efficiency is a key consideration for new import car buyers.
The best-selling models in August were the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2,237 units), Tesla Model Y (1,215 units), and BMW 5 Series (1,118 units).
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr