BMW takes the No. 1 spot among car importers in August

BMW 5 series [BMW KOREA]

German carmaker BMW became the No. 1 car importer in Korea during the month of August for the first time in more than two years.

According to a monthly report from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (Kaida), a total of 21,894 foreign cars were registered in August, up 10.7 percent from July despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Compared to last year, the August figure also marked a 20.8 percent increase.

By brand, BMW topped the list with 7,252 registered cars — almost double July’s 3,816. This was the first time BMW took the top spot since December 2017.

“Demand for our 5 and X series have constantly increased, but during the Covid-19 pandemic our production couldn’t meet the orders. As the situation improved, we were able to deliver more orders to our customers last month,” explained a BMW Korea spokesperson.

BMW’s 520 series was the most registered model of the month, with 1,097 vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz Korea, which had held the top spot for years, came in second with 6,030 registered vehicles. The German brand also saw an on-month increase of 15.6 percent, but a 10.5 percent decline on year. The Mercedes-Benz A 220 sedan was the second most registered vehicle last month.

The list went on to Audi, with 2,022 vehicles, Mini, with 1,107 vehicles, and Volkswagen, with 881 vehicles.

By region, European brands took 86.5 percent of imported vehicles in August, followed by the United States and Japan.

Monthly registration of Japanese vehicles increased 1.1 percent on year. Japanese brands in general have been underperforming in the Korean market after consumers started boycotting Japanese products after relations between the two countries soured last year.

Registration of Lexus cars grew 16.6 percent on year to 703 vehicles. Honda also saw a 74.6 percent increase to 241 vehicles.

BY SONG KYOUNG-SON [song.kyoungson@joongang.co.kr]