Imported car sales rise 22.6% in Aug.; top 3 models from Tesla
Tesla's Model Y vehicle / Courtesy of Tesla
Sales of imported vehicles in Korea jumped 22.6 percent in August from a year earlier, driven by strong demand for newly launched models, industry data showed Wednesday.
The number of newly registered imported cars reached 27,304 units last month, up from 22,263 the same month last year, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a release.
KAIDA said the monthly result was boosted by robust sales of new models such as the Tesla Model Y and Model 3.
The three bestselling models in August were Tesla's Model Y, the Model Y Long Range and the Model 3, the data showed.
Tesla's vehicle registrations more than tripled to 7,974 units last month from 2,208 a year earlier.
"Many young customers in their 20s and 30s opted for Tesla models because prices became more affordable after government subsidies for all-electric vehicles were applied," an industry official said.
Three German automakers — Volkswagen Group Korea, BMW Group Korea and Mercedes-Benz Korea — sold a combined 13,228 vehicles last month, down 7.9 percent from 14,368 units a year earlier.
German brands accounted for six of every 10 imported vehicles sold in Korea last month.
From January to August, registrations of imported cars rose 13.3 percent to 192,514 units from 169,892 a year earlier.