BMW’s new 5 series sedan displayed during the new model’s launching event held at the BMW Driving Center on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, west of Seoul, on Sept. 5, 2023. (Image courtesy of reporter Yim Seong-ho at Yonhap News)
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – BMW Korea overtook Mercedes-Benz Korea to become the leading foreign automobile company in South Korea last year in terms of sales, industry data showed Thursday.
According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), the number of newly registered BMW models last year reached 77,395 units out of the total 271,034 foreign vehicles sold in the country in 2023.
KAIDA said accumulative foreign car sales fell 4.4 percent on-year from 2022. Tesla was not included in the tally, as the company is not a registered member of the association.
Mercedes-Benz came in at a close second, selling 76,697 units last year. Mercedes-Benz had led the foreign automobile sales market for eight years since 2015.
Audi came in a third place, selling 17,868 units, followed by Volvo and Lexus, selling 17,018 and 13,561 units, respectively.
In terms of individual model lines, Mercedes-Benz’s E Class was the most popular, selling 23,642 units, followed by BMW’s 5 Series, selling 21,411 units. Mercedes-Benz’s S Class and Audi’s A6 finished third and fourth, respectively.
(Yonhap)
