Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea jumped 25.3 percent in September from a year earlier, helped by new car models and importers’ aggressive marketing, a local trade association said Thursday.

A total of 10,055 imported vehicles were sold in the country last month, compared with 8,022 units sold a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association. Sales in September also rose 10.3 percent from the previous month.

In the first nine months of the year, a total of 79,694 imported cars were sold in South Korea, up a solid 20 percent from a year earlier, it added.

KAIDA earlier forecast that sales of new imported vehicles here would top 100,000 units in 2011 for the first time ever.

“The sharp rise can be attributed to the introduction of new models and better marketing efforts by foreign carmakers and importers,” a spokesperson said. “Foreign carmakers had taken steps to secure adequate numbers of vehicles so they could reach consumers in a timely manner.” (Yonhap News)

According to the association, German luxury automaker BMW maintained its best-selling brand status for the eighth consecutive month since February with 2,151 units sold here last month. This was followed by Mercedes Benz with 2,013 units and Volkswagen with 1,383 units sold in South Korea.

By size, vehicles with a 2.0-liter or smaller engine were the most popular, taking up 43.9 percent of the market share in the cited month. This was followed by a 32.7 percent market share for cars with engine capacities more than 2.0 liters but below 3.0 liters.

By origin, European vehicles dominated the local market with a combined 76.9 percent share of the market in September, followed by Japanese manufacturers with 16.0 percent and U.S. automakers with 7.1 percent, KAIDA said. 

(Yonhap News)