Sales of imported light passenger vehicles in South Korea surged by 32% to 32,834 units in September 2025, up from 24,839 units a year earlier, according to registration data released by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA).

The sharp rise was attributed mainly to more working days during the month due to the timing of the ‘Chuseok’ national holidays, which this year fell in October. Domestic sales by the country’s five main automakers combined also increased sharply last month, rising by 18% to 124,515 units.

Sales of imported passenger vehicles in recent months have been lifted by improved availability of new models, particularly battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrids, as well as recent interest rate cuts by the central bank. In the first nine months of 2025, import sales increased by almost 16% to 225,348 units, up from 194,731 units a year earlier.

German-owned brands accounted for 59% of total import sales year-to-date, with almost 133,550 units combined. BMW led the market with a 6% rise to 57,838 units, while its Mini subsidiary saw its volumes decline by 2% to 5,605 units. Together, the two brands accounted for 28% of total import sales so far this year. Mercedes-Benz sales increased slightly to 48,283 units, while Volkswagen Group reported a 12% rise to 21,280 units, thanks mainly to strong performances by Porsche and Audi.

US EV maker Tesla was the best-selling import brand in September with 9,069 deliveries, following the recent launch of its new lower-cost Model Y, resulting in an 85% rise to 43,612 units year-to-date, while Volvo’s deliveries declined by 6% to 10,494 units. Toyota’s nine-month sales were unchanged at 7,074 units, while its Lexus division enjoyed a 14% rise to 7,074 units.

Chinese automaker BYD, which officially entered the market earlier this year, has delivered 2,967 vehicles so far. The company said it aims to have 30 sales outlets operational by the end of the year.