July Import Car Registrations Drop Double Digits, Electric Vehicle Share Nears 50%… Tesla’s Dominance Remains Unshaken

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korea Association of Imported Automobiles (KAIDA) announced that new registrations of imported passenger cars in July totaled 39,776 units, a 18.6% decrease from the previous month (38,059 units) and a 14.3% increase compared to the same period last year (27,090 units).

Cumulative registrations from January to July this year reached 215,008 units, marking a 30.1% growth compared to the same period last year (165,210 units). KAIDA Vice President Jung Yun-young explained that "registrations decreased month-over-month due to supply shortages of certain brands and the impact of the summer vacation season."

Looking at trends by fuel type, pure electric vehicles (EVs) recorded 15,428 units, accounting for 49.8% of the total market, nearing half. HYBE-led imports followed with 12,840 units (41.5%), while gasoline accounted for 2,514 units (8.1%) and diesel for just 194 units (0.6%). By country, European vehicles maintained the lead with 14,841 units (47.9%), though U.S.-made cars narrowed the gap to 14,464 units (33.8%). Chinese-made vehicles came in third with 2,846 units (9.2%), followed by Japanese-made vehicles at 2,825 units (9.1%).

By brand, Tesla held sole first place with 12,237 units (33.05%). BMW ranked second with 6,533 units (21.09%), and Mercedes-Benz took third with 3,959 units (12.78%). China's BYD drew attention by securing fourth place with 2,846 units (9.19%). The rankings continued with Lexus (1,474 units, 4.76%), Toyota (1,340 units, 4.33%), Volvo (958 units, 3.09%), and Audi (935 units, 3.02%).

The top three best-selling trims were all Tesla models: Model Y Premium (6,612 units), Model Y Long Range Premium (2,092 units), and Model 3 Long Range Premium (1,239 units). The BMW 520 ranked fourth with 1,212 units, and the BYD Dolphin took fifth place with 1,125 units.

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*This content was translated by AI.