More Domestic
The Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association announced on May 8 that a total of 18,202 imported cars were registered in Korea last month to show an 18.3 percent decrease from a month earlier and an 8.9 percent increase from a year ago. “The year-on-year growth had remained at over 20 percent, but dropped to 8.9 percent last month due to the shortage of supply from some importers and inventory control ahead of the release of new models,” the association explained.
By brand, Mercedes Benz topped the list by registering 4,136 cars. It was followed by BMW (3,798), Volkswagen (2,612), Ford (1,044), and Audi (1,010). Six out of the top 10 brands showed an average decline of 25 percent month-on-month, while Mercedes Benz, Ford, and Peugeot increased their sell-through by 10 percent or more.
Audi’s sales volume fell 49 percent from a year ago, whereas that of BMW MINI skyrocketed 140 percent. Mercedes Benz increased its volume by 25 percent year-on-year, and the percentages amounted to 30.7 percent for Ford, 54.1 percent for Chrysler, and 49.4 percent for Peugeot.
The Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI BlueMotion was chosen by 847 customers to be the best seller of the month. The BMW 520d (615) and the Mercedes Benz E220 BlueTEC (441) followed.
In the meantime, Hyundai Motor Company accounted for 41.3 percent of the domestic market last month, exceeding 40 percent for the first time in four months. The percentage had been 38.1 percent in January, 38.8 percent in February, and 38.5 percent in March.