Due to Automotive Chip Shortage
Sales of imported cars ascended from 22,321 units in January to 26,191 units in June, but their sales began to decrease in July, falling to 18,764 units in October and 18,810 units in November, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).
The figures dropped by 5,500 to 7,400 units from 24,257 units in October 2020 and 27,436 units in November 2020. Usually, at the end of a year, sales volume increases due to promotions by automakers. But in 2021, sales are being impeded by the poor supply of semiconductors for cars.
Mercedes-Benz came in first by selling 69,400 units between January and November, up 3.1 percent compared to the same period of 2020. BMW placed second with sales of 61,436 units, which is a 16.7 percent increase compared to a year ago. They were followed by Audi with 21,242 units, Volvo with 13,653 units, Volkswagen with 13,444 units and Mini with 14,413 units.
Jeep is on the verge of entering the club of 10,000 units by selling 9,350 units in the January-November period this year.
Lexus sold more than 10,000 units between 2016 and 2019. But its sales dropped amid Korean consumers’ boycott of Japanese brands. It sold 8,994 units in 2021 thanks to the growing demand for the ES300h (6,114 units in sales from January to November 2021), its flagship mid-sized HEV model.
On the other hand, Chevrolet suffered a setback this year. It sold a total of 11,416 units from January to November 2020 to join the club of 10,000 units. Yet, it sold 8,553 units in 2021 due to a shortage of semiconductors. In particular, its November sales stood at only 431 units, less than half of the 1,067 units sold a year ago.
In addition, a tough road is facing Porsche, which was initially expected to enter the 10,000 units club for the first time in 2021. Porsche sold 7,211 units in the first three quarters of 2021, up 14 percent from a year earlier. Market watchers predicted the German automaker would be able to easily surpass 10,000 units in sales for the whole of this year. However, it suffered a semiconductor supply problem in the fourth quarter. It sold only 956 units for two months from October to November, resulting in cumulative sales of only 8,167 units from January to November.