Mercedes-Benz hit a new record in Korea in October by selling more than 6,000 vehicles, standing on its own as other imported cars are losing customers, industry officials said Friday.
The feat follows a series of other records. In August, Mercedes-Benz became the first to win over 30 percent of the imported car market. In September, it surpassed 5,000 in sales, a jump of 15 percent from the same month a year ago. Its October sales of 6,400, a 72.4 percent increase on-year, is the best monthly performance by a foreign brand since the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association began taking the tally in 1994.
Sales of foreign cars in Korea fell by 5.5 percent during the January-October period this year compared with the same months last year.
Industry officials say the popularity of the new E-class models, the German automaker's first fully revamped lineup in seven years, pushed up the sales.
The company's home country rival, BMW, is following close behind, selling over 5,415 vehicles in Korea in October for a 71.6 percent rise, an impressive number considering it hasn't introduced any new cars recently. BMW is expected to release its new 5 Series next year.
Audi and Volkswagen, subjected to recalls and fines for fabricating emissions results, performed poorly as expected. Audi sold 475 cars and Volkswagen 30 in October.
"The fact that Mercedes-Benz and BMW are doing so well is noticeable when overall sales of imported cars are predicted to fall for the first time in seven years," an official from the auto industry said. "It's of interest whether Mercedes-Benz will overtake what has been the unshakable No. 1 import automaker BMW." (Yonhap)
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