Imported vehicle sales in Korea up nearly 10% in 2018

The value of imported vehicles sold in Korea last year jumped 9.9 percent to 17.47 trillion won ($15.49 billion) from a year earlier on demand for German models, industry data showed Thursday. In 2018, imported carmakers sold a combined 260,705 vehicles in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy, up 12 percent from the previous year, the latest findings showed.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (Kaida), strong demand for vehicles made by Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen pushed up sales numbers.

Imported auto brands accounted for a record 16.7 percent of all vehicles sold and registered in the domestic passenger car market for 2018, up from 15.23 percent in the previous year, Kaida said.