In November, Tesla topped the list for newly registered imported cars in South Korea, surpassing BMW and Mercedes-Benz. According to the Korea Imported Automobile Association (KAIDA), the number of new registrations for imported passenger cars in November was 29,357, which is an increase of 22.0% from the previous month and 23.4% from the same period last year. Cumulative registrations from January to November totaled 278,769, marking a 16.3% increase from the same period the previous year.
In November, Tesla registered 7,632 units, outpacing BMW’s 6,526 and Mercedes-Benz’s 6,139. BYD’s registrations also rose from 824 in October to 1,164 in November. Tesla’s Model Y was the best-selling model with 4,604 units, followed by Mercedes-Benz E 200 with 1,658 units and Tesla Model Y Long Range with 1,576 units.
Registrations by engine size showed 11,636 units under 2000cc (39.6%), and electric vehicles accounted for 10,757 units (36.6%). By region, European cars made up 61.3% of the total registrations, followed by American cars at 27.7%.
Regarding the type of purchase, individual purchases accounted for 65.2% with 19,136 units, and corporate purchases accounted for 34.8% with 10,221 units. The Vice Chairman of KAIDA, Jung Yoon-young, attributed the increase in registrations compared to October to the end of the Korean holiday Chuseok and active marketing efforts by various brands.