BMW vs Benz duel, who tops import car sales in May?

The Korea Association of Imported Automobiles (KAIDA) has released the sales figures for imported cars in Korea for May 2024. The total number of units sold was 21,560. This is an increase of 12.31 TP3T from April and 13.41 TP3T from May last year. BMW, which lost the top spot to Mercedes-Benz last month, made a strong showing once again, while Tesla proved its enduring popularity in the electric vehicle market with the Model 3.

[Table 1. Sales by model].

Last month's best-selling import car was the Tesla Model 3 (3,542), which was a dominant performer. It more than doubled its sales in April, when it was second in the model rankings with 1,716 units. In second place was the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2,244) and third was the BMW 5 Series (1,481). The E-Class has stabilised its performance after a disappointing first quarter.

The BMW 6 Series and Lexus NX stand out in the fourth to tenth positions, with the 6 Series, which is being discontinued globally, rising to fifth place with 689 units thanks to promotions. In particular, the popular 630i xDrive trim saw an explosive sales increase from 117 units in April to 445 units in May. The NX 350h also had a strong showing, with just five units delivered in April, but 424 were delivered to customers last month. This helped it finish May one spot higher than the ES, which was fighting a lonely battle in the top 10.

[Table 2. Sales by manufacturer].

In the manufacturer sales rankings, BMW regained the top spot, edging out second-placed Mercedes-Benz by nearly 300 units. Tesla (4,165 units), Volvo (1,516 units), Lexus (1,319 units), Audi (831 units), MINI (722 units), Toyota (701 units), Volkswagen (445 units) and Porsche (390 units) round out the top 10. All the brands that made the top 10 list in April are back, with only minor changes in their positions.

[Table 3. Best-selling cars by fuel].

Finally, the sales ranking by fuel. First, the petrol category is dominated by BMW. From D-segment sedans to flagship SUVs, a wide range of models made the top five. The E300 4Matic topped the hybrid category. However, KAIDA's hybrid statistics include mild hybrids and plug-in hybrids, so the Lexus ES 300h leads the way in terms of the more familiar 'full hybrid'.

Electric vehicles continue to dominate the list, with the Audi Q4 e-tron leading the pack, followed by the Tesla Model 3 and Y. The top diesel import in May was the BMW 620d, followed by the Mercedes-Benz G 400 d and GLB 200 d, and the Volkswagen Atheon and Golf 2.0 TDI models.

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