South Korean media: Half of the top ten imported cars in August were made in China

According to a report by South Korean media Chosun Ilbo (Japanese edition) on September 5: Among the top ten best-selling imported vehicles in South Korea in August, five were manufactured in China.

Thanks to its Shanghai Gigafactory, Tesla has sold over 10,000 units per month in South Korea for six consecutive months. Meanwhile, BYD, China's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, ranks high in plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales, second only to pure electric vehicles.

According to the August import registration statistics for passenger vehicles from the Korea Automobile Importers Association (KAIDA), a total of 29,817 imported passenger vehicles were registered in August, marking a 9.2% increase compared to the same period last year. However, excluding Tesla and BYD, sales from other manufacturers actually declined by 13.4%.

In terms of manufacturer rankings, Tesla led with 10,400 units, followed by BMW (6,180 units), Mercedes-Benz (4,037 units), and BYD (3,002 units).

Notably, among the top ten individual models, five were made in China. The Tesla Model Y, priced above 40 million KRW (approximately 4.6 million JPY), sold 9,638 units and maintained its leading position. Simply put, its sales volume alone far exceeded BMW’s total of 6,180 units, which placed second among manufacturers. The Tesla Model 3 (693 units) ranked sixth.

BYD’s compact electric car "Dolphin" (1,202 units) and electric SUV "Sealion 7" (819 units) ranked fourth and fifth respectively. The PHEV model "Sealion 6 DM-i," launched in South Korea for the first time in July at a price of 37.5 million KRW, sold 500 units within a month of launch—impressive performance that secured it ninth place.

A South Korean industry insider said: “Although domestic brands like Hyundai and Kia suffered disruptions due to summer holidays and partial strikes, Chinese-made vehicles have already become a genuine threat to South Korea’s domestic auto industry.”

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875482300181514/

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