BMW sells 19,786 units... Mercedes-Benz ranks 2nd
5 Series, top-selling imported car model
BMW continues strong presence in SUV and electric vehicles
Lexus and Volvo sales on the rise
Mid-size sedan sales to impact future competition increase
The most sold imported car brand in South Korea during the first quarter (January to March) of this year was BMW. BMW also ranked first in the best-selling model, sports utility vehicle (SUV), and electric vehicle categories. However, in March, the 'eternal rival' Mercedes-Benz led in sales, indicating that competition is expected to intensify going forward.
The Korea Imported Automobile Association announced that BMW Group Korea (including the MINI brand) sold 19,786 units in the first quarter. Mercedes-Benz Korea recorded 14,952 units, and even excluding MINI, BMW (18,134 units) leads. However, BMW led sales in January and February, while Mercedes-Benz sold 6,533 units in March, surpassing BMW's 5,664 units.
The model that drove BMW's number one position was the 5 Series. It sold 6,103 units, which is 1,529 units more than the second-place Mercedes-Benz E-Class (4,574 units). BMW continued its strong presence in the imported SUV market as well. The best-selling imported SUV was the BMW X4 (2,020 units), followed by the BMW X3 with 1,767 units sold. In the electric vehicle segment, the BMW i4 led with 576 units sold, closely followed by Mercedes-Benz's mid-size electric car EQE with 508 units.
The competition for third place is also fierce. Audi Korea sold 6,914 units to secure third place, but Korea Toyota Motor Corporation, leveraging hybrid vehicles, is aggressively closing the gap. The company, including Lexus, sold 5,041 units, which is double the sales volume of the first quarter last year (2,560 units). Notably, the Lexus mid-size sedan ES300h accounted for half of Toyota's total first-quarter sales with 2,446 units sold.
Volvo rose to fifth place thanks to strong March sales. Its first-quarter sales totaled 3,990 units, with March sales (2,145 units) accounting for more than half. The strong performance of the mid-size SUV XC60, which sold 1,056 units in the first quarter, supported this. Porsche also ranked sixth by selling a total of 2,966 units, led by the SUV Cayenne (1,583 units).
For the remainder of this year, imported car companies are expected to focus on mid-size sedan sales. Currently, the top five models by sales volume in the first quarter are all mid-to-large sedans (3rd place Audi A6, 4th place Mercedes-Benz S-Class, 5th place Lexus ES). The mid-size sedan E-Class, which led Mercedes-Benz to be the top imported car seller last year, sold 22,773 units, making it the best-selling imported car in South Korea last year.
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