Tesla's Model Y was counted as the best-selling vehicle across domestic and imported brands in August. Buoyed by the Model Y's popularity, Tesla ranked No. 1 in imported car sales for the seventh straight month.
The Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) said on Sept. 3 that new registrations of imported passenger cars in August totaled 29,817, up 9.2% from a year earlier. Compared with July, they fell 3.7%. Cumulative registrations from January to August this year came to 244,825, up 27.2% from the same period a year earlier.
By brand in August, Tesla ranked first with 10,400 units sold. Since May through August, its monthly sales have exceeded 10,000 units. BMW followed with 6,180, Mercedes-Benz 4,037, BYD 3,002, and Toyota 1,015. Tesla also leads in cumulative registrations this year. Tesla sold 76,776 units through August.
Driving the success was Tesla's Model Y. In August alone, 9,638 units were sold, up 10.7% from July. That figure is higher than the total sales of entire imported brands such as BMW. By model comparison, Kia(000270) Sorento at 6,102 units and Hyundai Motor(005380) Grandeur at 5,180 units trailed it in sales.
The share of China-made vehicles sold in Korea is also rising. Vehicles produced in China accounted for half of the top 10 best-selling imported models. Tesla's Model Y Premium and Model Y L ranked first and second with 7,490 and 1,746 units, respectively. BYD's Dolphin with 1,115 units, Sealion 7 with 819, and Sealion 6 DM-i with 500 ranked fourth, fifth, and eighth, respectively.
Electric vehicles made up more than half of the imported car market. EVs totaled 15,183 units, accounting for 50.9% of all sales. Hybrids were 11,923 units at 40.0%, and gasoline models were 2,540 units at 8.5%.