Sales of imported cars decline in South Korea

The Korean Association of automobile import and distribution companies reported that sales of imported cars in South Korea fell by 2.1 percent last August compared to the previous year, amid a lack of supply from some brands.

The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing the federation, that the number of newly registered imported cars reached 23,350 units in August, compared to 23,850 units last year, noting that the three best-selling models last month were the BMW 520 sedan, the E250 sedan for Mercedes-Benz, and the GLC 300 4MATIC SUV for Mercedes-Benz as well.
Last August, 3 German brands, namely Volkswagen Group Korea, BMW Group Korea and Mercedes-Benz Korea, sold 16,971 units, a decrease of 1.7 percent from 17,273 units a year earlier.

German cars accounted for 73 percent of imported cars sold in South Korea last month, compared to 71 percent a year earlier, the federation said in a statement.
3 Japanese brands, namely Honda Motor Company, Toyota Motor Company and its independent brand “Lexus”, sold a total of 1,929 units last month, an increase of 33 percent compared to 1,451 units a year earlier.
Imported brands accounted for 18.31 percent of the passenger car market in July, compared to 21.86 percent a year earlier.