March Imported Car Sales Surge, Overwhelming Domestic Cars

Mercedes-Benz E-Class ranked number one in imported car sales in March

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Last month, imported car sales surged in the domestic automobile market. In contrast, domestic car sales declined, showing consumers' preference for imported cars.

According to Kaizyu Data Research Institute on the 3rd, the number of new car registrations in March was 169,144, a 4.0% increase compared to the previous year.

During the same period, new domestic car registrations were 138,403, a 1.4% decrease from the previous year. On the other hand, new imported car registrations surged 38.2% year-on-year to 30,741.

By model, Mercedes-Benz maintained first place with 7,613 units, a 48.8% increase from the previous year. BMW ranked second with 6,014 units, up 25%, and Tesla ranked third with 3,194 units, up 27.8%.

Audi followed with 2,739 units, Volkswagen 1,630 units, Jeep 1,557 units, Volvo 1,252 units, Mini 1,225 units, Porsche 994 units, and Lexus 861 units.

By specific models, the ranking was Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Tesla Model 3, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, and Mercedes-Benz GLC.

During the same period, domestic cars were led by Hyundai Grandeur with 9,303 units in first place, followed by Kia Carnival with 8,855 units, and Hyundai Avante with 8,097 units ranking first, second, and third respectively.

Kia Sorento, K5, Hyundai Sonata, Palisade, Genesis GV70, G80, and Hyundai Tucson followed.

The industry views that the recent surge in imported car sales is due to revenge consumption following the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued consumer preference for imported cars.

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