Domestic Milestone

The BMW M5.
The BMW M5.

 

According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, BMW Korea sold approximately 5,500 cars in the Korean market in June this year. Its sales volume was 4,649 in May 2015 and 3,358 in June 2014, respectively.

This is the first time that a non-Korean automaker sold more than 5,000 cars in Korea in a single month.

Such a successful performance can be attributed to the popularity of the 3 Series. Representing about 40 percent of BMW’s global sales, it is regarded as one of the most cost-effective models of BMW not only in Korea but also across the world. Last month, BMW Korea launched aggressive marketing campaigns for the model in Korea ahead of the debut of the new 3 Series scheduled for Sept. The sales volume of the 5 Series increased a lot, too.

Another possible factor is the intense competition between Mercedes Benz and BMW. As of the end of May this year, BMW accounted for 19.32 percent of the Korean imported car market, second only to Mercedes Benz by a margin of only 0.28 percentage points. This is the first year, since records began being kept in 2003, that BMW recorded a lower market share in Korea than Mercedes Benz.

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