Last Month's Domestic Electric Vehicle Sales Surpass Annual Sales from 5 Years Ago

Monthly Statistics from the Automobile Industry Association... Last Month's 14,000 Units Set a New Record
Tesla, Benz, BMW and Other Imported Cars Also Achieve Highest Monthly Sales

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Last month, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) sold by domestic companies reached 13,993 units, marking the highest monthly record ever. Just five years ago, the annual sales barely exceeded 13,000 units, but now more than that amount is sold in a single month.

According to the monthly statistics compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association on the 31st, last month's domestic EV sales surpassed the previous highest monthly record set in July this year (13,143 units). By company, Hyundai Motor Company accounted for more than half with 7,946 units. Kia followed with 5,247 units, and Korea GM ranked third with 800 units. Renault Korea Motors and SsangYong Motor did not record any EV sales last month.

The Ioniq 6, the second dedicated electric vehicle to be launched in earnest, became the top-selling model immediately with 2,652 units sold. The second place was Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 (2,396 units), and third was Kia’s dedicated EV, the EV6 (2,281 units). Domestic small commercial EVs such as the Porter Electric (2,089 units) and Bongo EV (1,344 units) also sold steadily, ranking fourth and fifth respectively.

Until 2016, domestic EV sales barely exceeded 5,000 units annually. In 2017, the total annual sales were 13,303 units, which is still less than last month’s sales alone. The increase in consumer choice is attributed to improved product competitiveness by manufacturers and the establishment of charging infrastructure.

Imported EV sales also reached their highest last month. According to data from the Korea Imported Automobile Association, 4,024 EVs were sold last month, more than double the previous highest monthly sales in July (1,751 units). This figure excludes Tesla sales, as Tesla is not a member of the association. Considering Tesla’s sales last month were 3,133 units, the second highest ever (August was 3,153 units), last month’s EV sales were significantly higher than ever before.

By brand, Mercedes-Benz followed Tesla with 723 units, and BMW came next with 714 units. Audi and Volkswagen also followed with 678 and 667 units respectively. Tesla Model Y sold 1,910 units, making it the best-selling individual imported model, including internal combustion engine vehicles.

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