Tesla Tops Imported Car Sales in February... New Registrations Up 34.6%

In February, the Tesla Model Y sold more than 7,000 units, maintaining its position as the top-selling imported car.

The Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) announced on March 5 that the number of newly registered imported passenger cars in February was 27,190 units, a 34.6% increase compared to February last year (20,199 units).

The number of new imported passenger car registrations in February increased by 29.7% from January's figure of 20,960 units. Cumulative registrations for January and February reached 48,150 units, a 35.9% increase from 35,428 units in the same period last year.

Tesla Model Y Juniper.

By brand, the number of registrations in February was 7,868 for Tesla, 6,313 for BMW, and 5,322 for Mercedes-Benz. This was followed by Lexus with 1,113 units, Volvo with 1,095 units, Audi with 991 units, BYD with 957 units, Toyota with 793 units, and Volkswagen with 600 units.

Other brands included Mini with 510 units, Porsche with 494 units, Land Rover with 386 units, Polestar with 243 units, GMC with 123 units, Jeep with 102 units, Peugeot with 79 units, Ford with 66 units, Bentley with 40 units, Cadillac with 23 units, Honda with 23 units, Rolls-Royce with 17 units, Lincoln with 15 units, Ferrari with 13 units, and Lamborghini with 4 units.

By engine displacement, registrations were as follows: under 2,000cc, 9,763 units (35.9%); 2,000cc to under 3,000cc, 5,835 units (21.5%); 3,000cc to under 4,000cc, 421 units (1.5%); 4,000cc and above, 352 units (1.3%); and others (electric vehicles), 10,819 units (39.8%). By country of origin, European brands accounted for 16,107 units (59.2%), American brands for 8,197 units (30.1%), Japanese brands for 1,929 units (7.1%), and Chinese brands for 957 units (3.5%). By fuel type, hybrid vehicles led with 13,721 units (50.5%), followed by electric vehicles with 10,819 units (39.8%), gasoline vehicles with 2,484 units (9.1%), and diesel vehicles with 166 units (0.6%).

By purchase type, out of the 27,190 units, individual purchases accounted for 18,317 units (67.4%), and corporate purchases for 8,873 units (32.6%). For individual purchases, registrations by region were 5,636 units (30.8%) in Gyeonggi, 3,606 units (19.7%) in Seoul, and 1,152 units (6.3%) in Gyeongnam. For corporate purchases, registrations by region were 2,843 units (32.0%) in Incheon, 2,592 units (29.2%) in Busan, and 1,148 units (12.9%) in Gyeongnam.

The best-selling models in February were the Tesla Model Y Premium (5,275 units), Tesla Model Y Premium Long Range (1,740 units), and BMW 520 (1,067 units).

Jung Yoon-young, Vice Chairman of the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, explained, "Despite fewer business days in February due to the Lunar New Year holiday, new registrations of imported passenger cars increased from the previous month thanks to rising electric vehicle sales."

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