Imported car sales hit record high in 1st half

Sales of imported vehicles in Korea reached a new high in the first half of the year as a wider range of new vehicles helped boost local demand, a trade association said Tuesday.

A total of 41,947 new imported cars were registered in the country in the January-June period, up 44.5 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).

In June, sales of imported cars increased 12 percent from a year earlier to 7,629 units. The figure represents a 6.1-percent increase from the previous month.

In the six-month period, sales of mid-sized vehicles with engines that have a displacement of 2,000-3,000 cc surged 77.4 percent on-year to 18,300 units, the association said.

"The half-year sales of imported brands marked a record high as increased supplies of certain brands and the introduction of new vehicles helped pull up local demand," KAIDA said in a press release.

Mercedes-Benz was the top-selling brand, with 7,592 units sold in the first half and 1,685 units registered last month. BMW was second, with 6,901 units sold in the January-June period and 1,523 units in June.

Mercedes-Benz's E300 was the best-selling model in the first half of the year with 2,890 units registered, while the BMW 528 was the top-selling model in June with 690 units sold.