"No COVID-19 Shock"... Imported Car Sales in April Up 25.9% YoY

In April, 22,945 Imported Cars Sold... Best-Selling Car is Volkswagen Tiguan

2020 Tiguan 4MOTION Prestige (Photo by Volkswagen Korea)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Domestic imported car sales have continued a steady increase since the beginning of this year. Despite the shock of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), popularity has not waned, and last month recorded sales close to 23,000 units.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) on the 7th, the number of new registrations of imported passenger cars in April was 22,945 units, a 25.9% increase compared to the same period last year. Compared to the previous month, sales also increased by more than 2,000 units. On a monthly basis, imported cars approaching 23,000 units were sold only twice last year and four times even in 2018, when the imported car market achieved its highest annual performance.

By brand, Mercedes-Benz maintained its unshakable first place with 6,745 units. Together with BMW, which sold 5,123 units and ranked second, the two brands recorded sales exceeding 10,000 units. Audi and Volkswagen sold 2,043 and 1,345 units respectively, ranking third and fourth. Chevrolet, which had maintained third place in monthly sales this year with 1,133 units, was pushed down to fifth. Following were Volvo with 1,128 units, Porsche with 1,018 units, Mini with 908 units, Ford with 631 units, Jeep with 560 units, Lexus with 461 units, and Toyota with 309 units.

Mercedes-Benz’s presence was also notable in the best-selling car rankings. Mercedes-Benz listed five models in the top 10 sales, including CLA 250 4MATIC, E300 4MATIC, and GLC 300 4MATIC. However, the first place was taken by the Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI. The BMW 520 ranked third with 687 units.

By country, Europe accounted for 19,017 units, the United States 2,669 units, and Japan 1,259 units. In particular, Europe’s market share rose to 82.9% due to the strong performance of German brands, while the market share of Japanese brands, which was close to 20% in April last year, shrank to 5.5%.

Park Eun-seok, director of KAIDA, explained, “The new registrations of imported passenger cars in April increased compared to the previous month due to the new car effect of some brands and securing supply.”

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