U.S. electric-vehicle maker Tesla topped the domestic imported car market again on the 1st, marking its fourth straight month at No. 1 and its third consecutive month with monthly sales of 10,000 units.
On the 4th, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) said Tesla sold 10,866 units domestically last month, up 65.4% from a year earlier. After surpassing 10,000 units in a month for the first time in the imported car industry in March, it has continued the 10,000-unit pace. Total imported cars sold last month came to 29,860 units, up 5.9% from the same month last year.
Through last month, Tesla's cumulative sales reached 45,020 units, up 250.8% from the same period last year. During this period, 145,973 imported cars were sold in Korea, and Tesla's market share stood at 30.84%. In other words, one out of every three imported cars was a Tesla. BMW ranked second with 32,581 units, and Mercedes-Benz placed third with 24,211.
Four imported brands surpassed 1,000 units in sales last month: Audi, Lexus, Volvo Cars, and BYD. Audi logged 1,509 units on the strength of the new A6, which ranked No. 1 among gasoline models. Lexus, boosted by demand for the ES 300h hybrid, sold 1,291 units to take fifth. Volvo Cars was sixth with 1,058, and BYD was seventh with 1,032.
By model, the Tesla Model Y Premium sold 7,195 units last month to become the best-selling car. The Tesla Model Y L ranked second with 1,513, and the BMW 520 took third with 1,390. For the year to date, the Tesla Model Y Premium dominated at No. 1 with 28,449 units. It was followed by the BMW 520 (6,039 units) and the Mercedes-Benz E 200 (4,568 units).
By powertrain, electric accounted for 14,520 units (48.6%), hybrid 12,071 (40.4%), gasoline 3,092 (10.4%), and diesel 177 (0.6%). With most of the electric vehicles sold being Teslas, some analysts say Tesla is driving the expansion of the imported car market.