January Imported Cars Sales Reach 17,640 Units... 'Volkswagen Arteon' Becomes Best-Selling Car

Last Month, 17,640 Units Sold Domestically... 3.1% Decrease Year-on-Year

Volkswagen Arteon (Photo by Volkswagen Korea)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The domestic imported car market, which recorded negative growth last year for the first time in three years since 2016, remains unstable this year as well. Except for Audi and Volkswagen, which were virtually in a 'business suspension' state last year, most imported car brands recorded a decrease in sales compared to the previous year last month. The impact of the boycott movement continued, causing sales of all Japanese brands to shrink by more than half.

According to the Korea Imported Automobile Association on the 5th, the number of new registrations of imported passenger cars last month was 17,640 units, down 3.1% compared to the same period last year. Compared to the previous month, it sharply dropped by 41.3%. The upward trend that had appeared since the second half of last year was completely broken this year.

By brand, Mercedes-Benz maintained its undisputed first place with 5,492 units. BMW, with 2,708 units, and Mercedes-Benz together accounted for nearly half of the imported car market. The strong performance of Audi and Volkswagen also stood out. These brands, which had struggled due to certification issues in the first half of last year, reorganized their product lineups from the second half, and their sales last month increased compared to the same period last year. Volkswagen (1,753 units) and Audi (763 units) ranked 3rd and 7th respectively. Following them were Chevrolet (1,474 units, 4th), Volvo (1,100 units, 5th), Ford (808 units, 6th), Land Rover (542 units, 8th), Mini (525 units, 9th), and Lexus (509 units, 10th) in the top 10.

Volkswagen also showed its presence in the best-selling car rankings. The Volkswagen Arteon 2.0 TDI sold 1,189 units last month alone, surpassing the Mercedes-Benz E 300 4MATIC to become the best-selling model. Although Mercedes-Benz lost the top spot, it demonstrated its continued presence by placing five models in the 'Top 10' list of best-selling imported cars.

Chevrolet's pickup truck model 'Colorado,' which joined the Imported Car Association at the end of last year, recorded 1,036 units, following the Arteon and E 300.

By country, Europe accounted for 13,388 units, the United States 2,932 units, and Japan 1,320 units. Japanese brands, which had been thriving with a 20.6% market share in the imported car market in January last year, now have a lower share than American brands.

In terms of sales by fuel type, diesel model sales slightly increased thanks to successive new model launches. Last month, 6,324 diesel cars were sold domestically, recording a 35.9% market share. Gasoline models sold 10,015 units, while hybrid and electric vehicles recorded sales of 1,281 units and 20 units respectively.

Park Eun-seok, director of the Korea Imported Automobile Association, explained, "New registrations of imported passenger cars in January decreased compared to the previous month due to seasonal factors of the off-season, reduced business days caused by the Lunar New Year holiday, and the end of tax reductions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.