This photo provided by Tesla Inc, shows the carmaker’s service center in western Seoul.
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — While overall sales in the global automotive industry have plummeted, demand for imported electric vehicles (EVs) among South Korean consumers continues to grow, with no signs of the market cooling down.
One-third of electric cars sold through the third quarter this year were imported cars, with Tesla Inc. leading the charge among imported EVs.
Tesla sold 16,288 units through the third quarter, accounting for 80.8 percent of all imported EVs.
More than 20,000 imported electric cars were sold by the third quarter, driven by steady and robust domestic demand, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association and the CarIsYou Data Research Center.
Topping the list of popular imported cars was Tesla’s Model Y. The Model Y was the second-largest seller among all imported cars with 8,465 units, followed by the Model 3 with 7,784 units.
EV sales from other brands are booming as well. By the third quarter, sales of imported EVs excluding Tesla reached 3,874 units, up 41.2 percent from 2,743 units in the same period last year.
In the meantime, as the global chip shortage continues to disrupt auto production lines, vehicle sales have seen a severe decline.
In the case of the U.S. market, car sales from July through September dropped below 3.4 million, down 13 to 14 percent from a year earlier.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
