Imported Car Registrations Up 58% in April Year-on-Year... "One in Two Is an EV"

33,993 New Imports Registered

Last month, more than half of the imported cars sold in South Korea were electric vehicles (EVs). Chinese-made Tesla and BYD vehicles, leveraging price competitiveness, drove up sales and are leading the electrification trend in the imported car market.

Yonhap News Agency

According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) on May 7, the number of newly registered imported passenger cars in April was 33,993, marking a 58% increase compared to the same month last year. This figure was similar to the previous month (33,970 units), representing a slight increase of 0.1%.

The cumulative number of registrations from January to April this year reached 116,113 units, a 41% rise year-on-year.

Tesla led the sales. The company sold 13,190 vehicles in April, a staggering 811% increase compared to the same month last year. Tesla's cumulative sales from January to April stood at 34,154 units, accounting for 30% of all imported car registrations.

This was followed by BMW with 6,658 units, Mercedes-Benz with 4,796 units, BYD with 2,023 units, Volvo with 1,105 units, and Lexus with 1,079 units.

By fuel type, electric vehicles accounted for 18,319 units, or 53.9% of the total. Hybrids followed with 12,777 units (37.6%), gasoline vehicles with 2,734 units (8.0%), and diesel vehicles with 163 units (0.5%).

By engine displacement, vehicles under 2,000cc accounted for 9,087 units (26.7%), those between 2,000cc and under 3,000cc for 5,565 units (16.4%), between 3,000cc and under 4,000cc for 544 units (1.6%), 4,000cc and above for 478 units (1.4%), and others (electric vehicles) for 18,319 units (53.9%).

By country of brand origin, European brands accounted for 16,385 units (48.2%), American brands for 13,611 units (40.0%), Chinese brands for 2,023 units (6.0%), and Japanese brands for 1,974 units (5.8%).

By purchase type, individual purchases accounted for 22,089 units (65.0%), while corporate purchases accounted for 11,904 units (35.0%).

The best-selling models last month were the Tesla Model Y Premium (9,328 units), Tesla Model 3 Premium Long Range (1,481 units), BMW 520 (1,191 units), Tesla Model 3 (847 units), and BYD Dolphin (800 units).

Jung Yunyoung, Vice Chairman of the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, explained, "While there were mixed results by brand, strong EV sales and new models from some brands helped maintain levels similar to the previous month."

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