Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea fell by 12.5% to 15,932 units in August, from 18,200 units a year earlier, according to data released by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).
The decline is in line with the prevailing weakness in the overall vehicle market following the expiry of tax incentives at the end of June. Local vehicle manufacturers also reported an 11% drop in combined domestic sales last month.
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The decline in import sales last month was made worse by the fall out of the Volkswagen-Audi emissions and fuel-efficiency scandal, after the Ministry of Transport revoked the homologation certificates of some 80 VW and Audi models because of false claims.
Audi sales fell by 83% to 476 units in August, from 2,796 units a year earlier, while Volkswagen sales were almost 98% lower at 76 units.
BMW also reported a drop in sales last month, of over 16% to 3,047 units, while Mercedes-Benz was the clear winner after it reported a 32% jump to 4,835 units.
In the first eight months of 2016, sales of imported vehicles were down by 6.5% at 148,411 units, compared with 158,739 units in the same period of last year, with German automakers accounting for just under 55% of these compared with 75% previously.
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By GlobalDataSouth Korean domestic sales fall 11% in August
