Rolling Euro
The Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association announced on June 4 that a total of 18,386 new imported cars were registered in Korea last month, to show a 1.0 percent increase from a month ago and 20.1 percent growth compared to the same period last year. It added that the cumulative number for this year reached 95,557 by recording a 25.0 percent growth from a year earlier. Under the circumstances, non-Korean automakers are predicted to record a share of at least 18 percent in the Korean car market by the end of this year.
By brand, BMW showed an excellent monthly performance. Last month, BMW Korea sold no less than 4,649 cars, the highest imported car sales volume ever on a monthly basis. It was followed by Mercedes Benz, whose monthly sales volume fell 14.7 percent month-on-month to 4,136 cars. The others in the top 10 were Volkswagen (2,522), Audi (1,508), Ford (941), MINI (667), Lexus (571), Toyota (560), Nissan (496), and Chrysler (494).
European cars accounted for 79.7 percent of the new registration while the percentage stood at 12.1 percent for Japanese and 8.2 percent for American vehicles. Diesel cars and those with an engine displacement of 2,000 cc or less took up 65.1 percent and 55.9 percent of the new registrations, respectively.