South Korean auto market: Tesla leads imports as GM Korea domestic sales fall

The South Korean automotive market showed divergent trends in September. Tesla dominated the imported passenger vehicle segment, capturing a 35.45% market share with 12,372 registrations. This performance placed Tesla ahead of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The imported vehicle market grew 17.1% compared to August, with electric vehicles accounting for 52.1% of all new registrations.

In contrast, GM Korea experienced a significant decline in domestic sales. September domestic sales for GM Korea fell to 727 units, a 40.9% decrease compared to the same month last year. However, the company saw a massive surge in overseas sales, which rose 79.5% year-on-year to 40,374 units. Despite the domestic slump, GM Korea's total combined sales for September reached 41,101 units, a substantial increase from both the previous month and the previous year.