South Korean media: From "good value for money" to "premium", Chinese electric vehicles shake up the South Korean market!
On December 26, South Korean media "Herald Economic" published an article stating that this year's South Korean car market has experienced the first full "impact" of Chinese electric vehicles. With the global leading eco-friendly car company BYD having firmly established itself, and the high-end model lineup of Zeekr joining the competition, Chinese electric vehicles may shake up the South Korean imported electric vehicle market structure next year.
BYD, which entered the South Korean passenger car market for the first time this year, achieved results beyond expectations, successfully achieving a soft landing. According to industry insiders, BYD performed strongly, ranking fifth (1,164 units) in the import car sales rankings for November, following Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo.
The compact electric vehicle "ATTO 3" and the mid-size sports sedan "Seal" have laid the foundation for the market, while the mid-size SUV "Sea Lion 7" launched in September has driven sales growth. Particularly noteworthy is that Sea Lion 7 has emerged as a standout in the mid-size electric SUV market, with 680 new registrations in November, ranking seventh among all imported models.
BYD's cumulative sales from January to November this year reached 4,955 units, and with December's sales, the annual sales may exceed 5,500 units.
BYD expects to continue adopting an active expansion strategy next year. Industry insiders predict that the possibility of introducing the globally popular small electric hatchback "Dolphin" is very high.
Next year seems to also break the long-standing perception that "Chinese cars = low cost." Geely Automobile's premium brand Zeekr has signed a distribution agreement with a partner company responsible for vehicle sales and service in the South Korean market, confirming its official entry into the South Korean market in the first quarter of next year.
Additionally, XPeng Motors and Xiaomi are also considering entering the South Korean market. Xiaomi's first electric vehicle is the "SU7". SU7 received good reviews last year, and Ford CEO Jim Farley said, "I've been driving this car for six months and don't want to replace it."
An industry insider in South Korea predicted, "If this year confirmed the potential of Chinese electric vehicles, then next year will be the year when South Korean domestic and imported cars face direct competition with Chinese brands."
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852536814367944/
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