Due to Automotive Semiconductor Shortage
Imported car sales in October fell 22.6 percent from a year ago as the automotive semiconductor shortage continued. By brand, BMW returned to the top spot of the monthly sales standings in a year and two months, beating Mercedes-Benz.
The number of newly registered imported cars stood at 18,764 in October, said the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) on Nov. 3. This was a 22.6 percent decrease from the same period of 2020. Compared to the previous month of September, it fell 8.0 percent. Analysts say that a shortage of imported cars deepened as the semiconductor shortage prolonged production disruptions.
By brand, BMW came in first for the first time in a year and two months since August 2020. The number of new BMW car registrations in October stood at 4,824, down 9.3 percent from a year earlier. Although BMW’s sales dropped, its decline was smaller than those of other companies. The second place was taken by Mercedes-Benz with 3,623 new units registered in October, a 42.0 percent drop from the same month of 2020.
Mercedes-Benz was followed by Audi (2,639 units), Volvo (1,125 units), Jeep (750 units), Volkswagen (719 units), Mini (701 units), Lexus (656 units), Chevrolet (572 units), Honda (526 units), Toyota (521 units), Porsche (512 units), and Ford (502 units).
The Audi A6 took the honor of becoming the best-selling imported car in Korea with 1,271 units sold in October. The Audi model was followed by the BMW 5 Series (1,243 units), the Benz GLE (953 units), the Benz S Class (820 units), the Volkswagen Jetta (633 units), the Benz E Class (622 units), the Lexus ES (526 units), the BMW X3 (502), the Volvo XC60 (442 units) and the BMW X5 (438 units).
Overall imported vehicle sales slowed down, but imported eco-friendly car sales moved in the opposite direction. By fuel, imported hybrid cars sold 5,229 units, an increase of 25.6 percent from the previous year. Sales of plug-in hybrid cars swelled 93.3 percent. Sales of imported electric vehicles, excluding Tesla cars, jumped 238.3 percent year on year to 521. On the other hand, imported diesel car sales plunged 76.1 percent from 2020 to 1,644, and imported gasoline-powered car sales shrank 21.3 percent to 9,520 units.