Amid the 'Semiconductor Shortage'... BMW Regains Monthly Imported Car No.1 Spot After 14 Months

BMW New Registrations Down 9%, But Mercedes Decline Larger, Secures 1st Place

On the 17th, one day before the Chuseok holiday, export vehicles are waiting to be loaded at Pyeongtaek Port in Gyeonggi. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Amid global automakers struggling with the shortage of automotive semiconductors, BMW has reclaimed the top spot in monthly new imported car registrations after 14 months.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) on the 3rd, BMW recorded 4,824 new registrations last month, ranking first. This marks the first time in 14 months since August of last year that BMW has overtaken Mercedes-Benz to become the number one imported car brand.

Although BMW's new registrations last month decreased by 9.3% compared to the same month last year, Mercedes-Benz's decline rate reached 44.9%, allowing BMW to seize the top position. An industry insider said, "The biggest reason for the major ranking changes is the shortage of automotive semiconductors," adding, "Most companies have experienced production disruptions and delivery delays due to this, and each company's response determined the rankings."

Additionally, Audi recorded 2,639 units, up 4.4% year-on-year and 129.5% month-on-month, reclaiming third place by surpassing Volvo (1,125 units). Following them were Jeep (750 units), Volkswagen (719 units), Mini (701 units), Lexus (656 units), Chevrolet (572 units), Honda (526 units), Toyota (521 units), Porsche (512 units), and Ford (502 units).

The best-selling imported car model last month was the Audi A6, with a total of 1,271 units registered. Following were the BMW 5 Series (1,243 units), Mercedes-Benz GLE (953 units), and Mercedes-Benz S-Class (820 units) occupying the top ranks.

By country, European cars accounted for 14,950 units, making up 79.7% of all imported cars, while American cars accounted for 2,111 units (11.3%) and Japanese cars 1,703 units (9.1%). By fuel type, gasoline led with 9,520 units (50.7%), followed by hybrid at 5,229 units (27.9%), plug-in hybrid at 1,850 units (9.9%), diesel at 1,644 units (8.8%), and electric at 521 units (2.8%).

Notably, imported electric vehicle sales last month surged 238.3% compared to the same month last year. Hybrids (25.6%) and plug-in hybrids (93.3%) also showed strong growth.

Meanwhile, new registrations of imported passenger cars last month totaled 18,764 units, down 22.6% year-on-year. The cumulative registrations this year reached 213,432 units, an 8.1% increase compared to the same period last year. Lim Han-gyu, Vice Chairman of KAIDA, stated, "October's new imported passenger car registrations decreased compared to the previous month due to supply shortages caused by some brands' lack of inventory and the semiconductor shortage."

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