SEOUL, KOREA - Despite a decline in the domestic sales of Korean-made cars, resulting from the termination of the limited-time excise tax exemption, the sales of import cars have continued an upward trend.According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA), the number of import cars newly registered in January 2013 totaled 12,345 units, up 30.8 percent from a year ago. This figure is up 15.8 percent from a month ago and the second highest after 12,470 set in November 2012.
By brand, BMW came on top with sales of 3,266, followed by Mercedes-Benz (1,939), Volkswagen (1,848), Audi (1,811), and Ford (549).
By engine displacement, the sales of cars with less than 2.0-liter engines accounted for the largest share of 54.2 percent or 6,688 units. By fuel type, diesel cars accounted for 7,749 units, or 62.8 percent, followed by gasoline models with 4,303, or 34.9 percent, and hybrid models with 293 units or 2.4 percent. The best-selling model was BMW 520d which was sold 980 units.
enews@hankyung.com
*Article provided by The Korea Economic Daily
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