Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea fell by 18.3% to 16,833 units in October from 20,612 units a year earlier, according to data released by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).
The overall vehicle market was held back by fewer working days during the month compared with last year due to the extended Chuseok annual holidays. Domestic manufacturers also suffered sharp declines last month.
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According to the KAIDA data, seven in every 10 imported vehicles were European brands, and six of these were German – with the BMW 520d the best-selling imported model.
Import sales in the first 10 months of the year were still up by 2.5% at 190,394 units, from 185,801 units a year earlier, despite two key brands – Volkswagen and Audi – being temporarily shut out of the market following the emissions cover up scandal last year.
Mercedes-Benz and BMW have benefited most from their absence but Volkswagen and Audi are set to relaunch their sales operations in the fourth quarter.
