This undated file photo provided by Tesla shows the Model X, Model S and Model X being charged by superchargers.
SEOUL, July 19 (Korea Bizwire) — U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc.’s sales in South Korea remained stagnant in the first half of this year after enjoying strong growth in the country’s imported EV market.
According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association and the CarIsYou Data Research Center, the number of imported EVs sold in the domestic market in the first half of this year totaled 12,959 units, up 13 percent year on year.
During this period, Tesla sold 6,746 units, down 31 percent from a year ago, with the share of Tesla in the imported EV market estimated at 52 percent, a sharp decrease of 32 percentage points compared to a year ago.
In contrast, sales of other imported EVs, excluding Tesla, reached 6,213 units, an increase of 260 percent compared to a year ago, with their market share rising by about 30 percentage points.
In the Korean import EV market, Mercedes-Benz sold 1,395 units, a more than fourfold increase from a year ago, ranking second behind Tesla. BMW ranked third with 1,238 units, more than 16 times higher compared to last year.
As foreign EV makers, excluding Tesla, are releasing a string of competitive models following the electrification trend, domestic consumers are showing increasing preference for them, experts said.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
