According to the Automotive Data Research Center, a total of 288772 vehicles (in terms of passenger cars) will be sold in the South Korean import car market in 2021. This represents an increase of 3.8% compared to 276,143 units in 2020. Mercedes-Benz and BMW are led by two major German high-end brands, audi, Tesla, Volvo, Volkswagen, Mini, Jeep, followed by the "10,000 car club".
[1] Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (76,284 units in 2021) has maintained a record of 70,000 vehicles for four consecutive years, ranking first among imported vehicles. However, compared to 2020 (77,125 units), it is down 1.1%. And the gap with second-place BMW narrowed to less than 10,000 vehicles.
Leading Mercedes-Benz so far is the E-Class. The E-Class topped the list with 26,109 units. However, it appears to have been hit directly by the shortage of semiconductors.
Instead, the number of S-Class surged 69.3% from the previous year to 11,239 units (including maybach), filling the gap in the E-Class. Sales of the S-Class soared due to the release of the new 7th-generation S-Class in April.
However, the increase in S-class sales and the decline in E-class sales are exactly what the German headquarters expected. Due to a shortage of semiconductors, the Sindelfingen plant in Germany, which produces C, E and S grades, has been closed several times this year. The German headquarters concentrates on the production of top models such as the S-Class and the Maybach, and the production of the C/E-class is naturally delayed.
In the SUV lineup, GLE (6856 units, +71.2%) and GLB (5218 units, +216.4%) contributed. Both models target the family car market and offer a wide range of options, including gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrids, and high-performance AMG models. It is worth mentioning that the GLE is the second-selling SUV in the imported SUV market after the Tesla Model Y.
On the other hand, sales of the C-Class (2736 units, -49.0%) and CLS (3429 units, -34.6%) declined significantly before the launch of the new car. CLS is expected to be officially released after the launch of some of the redesigned models in December last year, and the C-class is expected to be launched in the Korean market in the first half of this year.
[2] BMW
In 2021, BMW ranked second with sales of 65,682 vehicles. Despite the impact of the epidemic and the crisis of unstable supply and demand of semiconductors, sales soared by 12.4% over the previous year, narrowing the gap with the leader.
The best-selling BMW cars are the 5 Series (17,740 units, -14.1%). It's better than its rival E-Class, but it can't avoid a direct shock from semiconductors. While most BMW sales grew year-over-year, it was the only model to see a double-digit decline. Relatively speaking, the 3 series (7980s, -2.1%) performed relatively steadily.
BMW's performance was mainly led by SUVs. X5 (5601 units, +57.3%), followed by X3 (5094 units, +42.3%), X7 (4211 units, +57.8%), X6 (4029 units, +56.5%), X4 (3886 units, +5.1%)) and X1 (1888 units, +19.4%).
[3] Audi
Last year, Audi maintained its 2020 (25,549) levels with 25,626 units (+0.3%). Compared with Mercedes-Benz BMW, there is still a big gap, the sales of BBA in the Chinese market are similar, but in South Korea, there is only BB, no A.
In the first half of this year, the A6 (17,740 units, an increase of 6.1%) was delayed due to certification issues, ranking third in the overall imported car market. However, Audi's dependence on the A6 is currently high. The A6 accounts for nearly 70% of Audi's total sales. In fact, the second-selling model after the A6 is the A4, with 2,183 units (+10.5%).
[4] Tesla
Tesla ranks fourth among imported cars. Tesla sold 17,828 units, up 50.8 percent from 11,826 when it first entered the 10,000-unit club in 2020.
Although Tesla's lineup is not diverse, it is on the list of two cars in the Top 10. The Model 3 (8898 units - 19.1%) declined slightly, but the newly launched Model Y sold 8891 units, tied for 5th and 6th places.
Tesla's prospects for next year are brighter. This is because they are relatively unaffected by the semiconductor crisis. Since the contract volume is already sufficient, Tesla is expected to double its current performance if there is enough production and domestic transportation capacity.
[5] Volvo
Volvo ranked fifth with 15,056 units, up 17.6% year-on-year. Successfully entered the "10,000 People Club" for three consecutive years.
In the case of Volvo, for example, there are no outstanding models in the top 20, but most of them perform well. As a result, the sales target of 15,000 units announced earlier this year was barely met.
XC60 (3383 units, +33.2%), followed by S90 (3214 units, +81.0%), XC40 (2755 units, +7.8%) and XC90 (1527 units, +12.0%) performed better than in previous years. However, unlike the "60 cluster" XC60, which leads the brand performance, the sedan S60 (1909 units, -9.9%) and the V60 off-road (1810 units, -6.2%) both showed poor sales.