This photo taken on Oct. 4, 2022, shows a used car dealership in Janganpyeong, eastern Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — “Used but nearly new cars” are drawing attention due to lengthy delivery delays for new cars resulting from the prolonged disruption in the supply of chips for automobiles.
According to used car platform Encar, the share of “nearly new cars” among overall sales of used cars has been on an upward trend, rising from 12.9 percent in January to 15.5 percent in March, 17.9 percent in May and 20.1 percent in August.
Unlike overall secondhand car sales that usually fluctuate depending on seasonal factors and the trend of high demand season, sales of nearly new cars continue to increase steadily, Encar said.
Among nearly new cars, the most popular model in terms of August purchase inquiries was the Kia Carnival minivan, followed by the Hyundai Palisade SUV, Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W213), Kia Sorento SUV, Genesis G80 sedan (RG3), Hyundai Grandeur IG sedan, Genesis GV80 SUV, BMW 5 Series (G30), Kia Mohave SUV and Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W223).
“When it comes to popular models that are less than a year old, there are some cases where the price of used cars is higher than that of new cars even in consideration of option prices,” Encar said.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
