On July 3, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) announced that 38,059 new imported passenger cars were registered in June. Among these, 19,453 were electric vehicles, accounting for 51.1% of total sales. Hybrids totaled 15,125 units (39.7%), gasoline vehicles reached 3,211 units (8.4%), and diesel vehicles numbered 270 (0.7%).
The cumulative registration for the first half of the year stands at 184,032 units, a 33.2% increase compared to the same period last year, which recorded 138,120 units.
In terms of brand registrations last month, Tesla led with 11,119 units sold, followed by BMW (6,569 units), Mercedes-Benz (5,565 units), BYD (4,652 units), Audi (1,772 units), Lexus (1,694 units), Volvo (1,679 units), and Toyota (1,401 units).
The best-selling models were dominated by electric vehicles. The Tesla Model Y Long Range was the top seller with 5,155 units, followed by the Tesla Model Y Premium with 3,318 units. The BYD Dolphin secured third place with 2,747 units.
By country, European brands accounted for the largest share with 18,820 units (49.4%), followed by American brands with 11,445 units (30.1%), Chinese brands with 4,652 units (12.2%), and Japanese brands with 3,142 units (8.3%).
Jung Yoon-young, vice president of KAIDA, stated, "The increase in new registrations for imported passenger cars in June was due to some brands securing inventory and the impact of new models."
Meanwhile, industry experts predict that the trend toward electrification in the imported car market will continue in the second half of the year, as German premium brands are expanding their electric vehicle lineups in response to the competition from Tesla and BYD.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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