Green Car Competition
It has been found that German automakers are veering from eco-friendly diesel to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the wake of the recent Volkswagen scandal.
For example, BMW is planning to launch the New X5 xDrive40e, the New 740e and the New 330e in Korea within this year. Mercedes Benz is expected to release the S500 PHEV, which made its debut in Germany in August last year, in the Korean market before the end of this year, too. Audi’s first PHEV, the A3 Sportback e-tron, and the Chevrolet Volt are to be put on the market in the near future as well.
According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, a total of 10,253 eco-friendly cars were imported by Korea last year, up 29.4% from a year ago. It was Toyota and Lexus that led the growth.
“The sales of environment-friendly vehicles are unlikely to show a rapid growth for the time being because low international oil prices are still ongoing,” said an automobile industry expert, adding, “Nevertheless, interests in this type of vehicles are likely to be on the rise with global automakers having to cope with environmental regulations and the participation of an increasing number of carmakers around the world will accelerate the growth of the market.”