South Korean Media: Tesla Tops Import Car Sales in June, BYD Breaks 4,000 Units Monthly for First Time

In the first half of this year, about three out of every ten imported cars sold in South Korea came from the American electric vehicle brand Tesla. Tesla maintained its top position among imported vehicles in June, securing the No. 1 spot for the fifth consecutive month.

According to the import passenger car registration statistics released by the Korea Automobile Importers Association on the 3rd, Tesla sold 11,119 units last month, ranking first among imported car brands. BMW came second with 6,569 units, followed by Mercedes-Benz with 5,565 units. Chinese EV maker BYD (BYD) ranked fourth with 4,652 units, marking the first time its monthly sales surpassed 4,000 units.

As of June this year, cumulative registered imported vehicles reached 184,032 units, a 33.2% increase compared to the same period last year (138,120 units). The growth in imported car sales is largely attributed to Tesla’s strong performance—during this period, Tesla sold 56,139 units, accounting for 30.51% of the total.

By model, Tesla's Model Y topped the imported vehicle rankings with 9,188 units sold. When considering both domestically produced and imported passenger vehicles combined, Model Y ranked second, just behind Hyundai Motor’s new Grandeur (10,062 units). In May, Model Y had briefly led the overall domestic and imported vehicle sales ranking, but was overtaken within a month after the launch of the new Grandeur. However, models such as Kia Sorento (8,561 units), Kia Seltos (6,685 units), and Kia Carnival (6,267 units) still remained ahead of Model Y.

Domestic automakers’ performance in June varied significantly. Hyundai Motor sold 58,232 units domestically and 280,081 units overseas, totaling 338,313 units—a 5.9% decrease compared to the same month last year. Kia sold 54,508 units domestically and 240,259 units overseas, plus 953 special-purpose vehicles, amounting to a total of 295,720 units, representing a 9.5% year-on-year increase.

Among mid-sized automakers, GM Korea sold 48,134 units in June, up 6.6% compared to the same month last year. KGM achieved total sales of 11,982 units, the highest monthly figure since March 2023, with export growth playing a key role. Renault Korea sold 4,651 units, down 45.7% compared to the same month last year.

Source: JoongAng Daily

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869770469292041/

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