In November, Lexus sold 1183 units, a 42.4 percent surge from the same month of 2022 in Korea.
Mercedes-Benz topped import sales last month. Volvo and Lexus were also strong. By vehicle type, sales of internal combustion engine cars declined, while sales of eco-friendly cars such as hybrids and electric vehicles continued to increase.
The number of newly registered imported passenger cars in November was 24,740, up 16 percent from the previous month, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Dealers Association (KAIDA) on Dec. 5. The cumulative total for January-November this year stood at 243,811 units, down 3.9 percent from a year earlier.
By brand, Mercedes-Benz nabbed the top spot with 7,168 units. BMW followed closely behind with 7,032 units. Volvo came in third with 1,640 units, ahead of Audi, which posted 1,392 units. Lexus, the luxury brand of Japan’s Toyota Motor, surged 42.4 percent to 1,183 units from the same month of last year.
BMW Group’s compact car brand Mini picked up sixth place with 997 units and Volkswagen placed seventh with 966 units. Volkswagen was followed by Toyota (835), Porsche (752), Chevrolet (576), Jeep (420), Ford (379), Land Rover (300), Peugeot (276), and Honda (187).
By fuel, hybrids accounted for 40.4 percent of all sales with 9996 units in November. This is up 31.3 percent from the same month of 2022. Electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 10 percent of the total sales at 2,471 units, but were down by 8.7 percent year over year. Sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles hit 9,933 units (a drop of 29.3 percent) and 1,524 units (a drop of 42.3 percent) last month, respectively.
The best-selling model in November was the Mercedes-Benz E-Class E 250 (2,150 units), followed by the BMW 5 Series 520 (1,108 units) and the 530 xDrive (643 units).