Sales of imported light passenger vehicles in South Korea increased by 6% to 29,860 units in May 2026, up from 28,189 units in the same month last year, according to registration data released by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA).
Last month’s moderate rise followed a 58% year-on-year jump to 33,993 units in April, driven by strong demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). In the first five months of 2026, sales of imported passenger vehicles surged by 32% to 145,973 units from 110,341 units in the same period last year. The segment has strongly outperformed domestic sales, with the country’s five main automakers reporting a 4.7% drop in combined sales to 541,712 units year-to-date.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
US BEV maker Tesla has been behind most of the import segment’s strong growth this year, with its sales surging fourfold to 45,020 units to become the leading import brand with a 31% share of segment sales.
BMW slipped into second place after its sales rose by just under 3% to 32,581 units, while its Mini subsidiary saw its sales rise by 23% to 3,255 units. Together, the two brands accounted for just under 25% of total import sales year-to-date.
Mercedes-Benz’s sales fell by 9% to 24,211 units, following a 45% plunge in May despite the launch of a new product offensive earlier in the year. The company plans to bring in ten new and facelifted models in 2026 as it looks to strengthen its electrified vehicle line-up.
Volkswagen Group reported a 7.5% sales rise to 11,595 units in the five-month period, led by strong demand for Audi and Porsche models. Porsche is currently expanding its sales network and plans to launch more than ten new models in the country this year. Toyota’s sales increased by 2.6% to 3,786 units, while its Lexus division reported an almost 4% decline to 6,125 units.
BYD has made strong inroads into the South Korean market in the last year, with sales rising sevenfold to 7,023 units year-to-date. The company launched three new models earlier this year, including a rear-wheel-drive version of the Seal, the Dolphin hatchback, and a Dual Mode intelligent (DM-i) plug-in hybrid model.
Volvo’s sales increased by less than 2% to 5,791 units, while Stellantis announced that it is stepping up its sales operations in the country with the launch of the Peugeot 5008 hybrid SUV and the Jeep Grand Cherokee this year. Polestar said it aims to sell 4,000 BEVs in 2026, helped by the introduction of the Polestar 3 and Polestar 5 models.
