KAIDA (Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association) officially announced that 8,758 imported cars were registered in August 2010, a 14.2% increase from the previous month and an impressive 142.5% increase compared to August 2009. So far, 58,371 units have been imported into Korea this year, a 59.2% increase from last year (36,672 units).    

The number of registration breaks by brand for August 2010 was:

BMW 2,139 units, Mercedes-Benz 1,524 units, Volkswagen 784 units, Audi 758 units, Toyota 606 units, Honda 479 units, MINI 406 units, Infiniti 370 units, Nissan 296 units, Ford/Lincoln 280 units, Lexus 272 units, Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge 189 units, Peugeot 172 units, Volvo 122 units, Jaguar 108 units, Porsche 74 units, Cadillac 70 units, Land Rover 61 units, Mitsubishi 20 units, Subaru 20 units, Bentley 5 units, and Rolls-Royce 3 units.

The number of registration breaks by cubic centimeter in August 2010 was:

Less than 2000 cc-2,847 units (32.5%), from 2000 cc to 3000 cc-3,910 units (44.6%), from 3000 cc to 4000 cc-1,643 units (18.8%), and more than 4000 cc-358 units (4.1%).

Individual purchasing was 4,493 units (51.3%) out of total 8,758 units, and business purchasing was 4,265 units (48.7%). The registration number breaks by region was Gyeonggi 1,432 (31.9%), Seoul 1,418 units (31.6%), and Busan 307 units (6.8%). The business purchasing breaks by region was Gyeongnam 2,452 units (57.5%), Busan 652 units (15.3%), and Seoul 535 units (12.5%).

The best selling models were BMW 528 (833 units sold), Mercedes-Benz E 300 (578 units sold), and Toyota Camry (394 units).

Mr. Dae Seong Yoon, the executive director of KAIDA, said the registration of imported cars was increased since the sales of stand-by cars went into effect.

Source: KAIDA (Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association)