Industry

Steady Benz demand boosted import car sales in February

Sales of imported cars in Korea gained 3.5 percent from a year earlier last month, partly due to a steady advance by Mercedes-Benz, market data showed Tuesday.

The number of newly registered imported vehicles was 16,212 in February, compared to 15,671 in the same month last year, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.

From a month earlier, the February tally, however, marked a 2.8 percent drop.

The year-on-year gain came despite continued difficulties facing Audi and Volkswagen following an emissions scandal that has led to a sales ban on 80 Audi and Volkswagen cars in Korea.

In February, only 360 Audi cars were newly registered, down 63.4 percent from 984 cars a year earlier. No Volkswagen cars were sold last month, a sharp turnaround from 2,196 cars sold in February 2016. YONHAP