25,229 New Imported Cars Registered in March
Mercedes-Benz Leads Brand Sales
Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Account for Over 80% of Registrations
Mercedes-Benz was the best-selling imported car brand last month.
According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) on the 3rd, the number of new registrations of imported passenger cars in March increased by 24.9% from the previous month to 25,229 units. Compared to the same period last year, it decreased by 0.1%. The cumulative number of registrations in the first quarter was 60,657 units, an 11.1% increase from the same period last year.
Mercedes-Benz E200
By brand, Mercedes-Benz recorded 6,762 units. This was followed by BMW with 6,378 units, Tesla with 2,591 units, Volvo with 1,424 units, Lexus with 1,414 units, Audi with 1,100 units, Porsche with 1,091 units, and Toyota with 1,033 units.
Additionally, MINI sold 620 units, Volkswagen 584 units, Ford 565 units, Land Rover 527 units, Polestar 307 units, Honda 229 units, Jeep 174 units, Lincoln 133 units, Peugeot 76 units, Cadillac 48 units, Ferrari 44 units, GMC 26 units, Maserati 23 units, Lamborghini 20 units, Rolls-Royce 18 units, Chevrolet 18 units, Bentley 14 units, and BYD 10 units.
By engine displacement, vehicles under 2000cc accounted for 11,624 units (46.1%), 2000cc to under 3000cc for 7,011 units (27.8%), 3000cc to under 4000cc for 587 units (2.3%), 4000cc and above for 349 units (1.4%), and others (electric vehicles) for 5,658 units (22.4%).
By country of origin, Europe accounted for 18,988 units (75.3%), the United States 3,555 units (14.1%), Japan 2,676 units (10.6%), and China 10 units (0.0%). By fuel type, hybrids accounted for 15,643 units (62.0%), electric vehicles 5,658 units (22.4%), gasoline 3,632 units (14.4%), and diesel 296 units (1.2%).
Individual purchases totaled 16,235 units (64.4%), while corporate purchases were 8,994 units (35.6%). By region for individual purchases, Gyeonggi had 5,076 units (31.3%), Seoul 3,228 units (19.9%), Busan 967 units (6.0%), and Incheon 967 units (6.0%). For corporate purchases, Busan recorded 3,065 units (34.1%), Incheon 1,985 units (22.1%), and Gyeongnam 1,674 units (18.6%).
The best-selling models in March were the Mercedes-Benz E200 with 1,926 units, Tesla Model 3 with 1,291 units, and BMW 520 with 1,195 units.
Jung Yoon-young, Vice Chairman of the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), explained, "The increase in registrations compared to the previous month was due to active marketing by some brands, smooth supply of inventory, and the effect of new models."
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