Imported Cars Gaining Popularity in Korea
I had just read Marmot’s post about the number of Hondas driving on Seoul streets when I came upon this article on Yahoo:
Imported car sales in South Korea hit a record high in November, an industry group said Tuesday, in contrast to poor performances by domestic car manufacturers.
A total of 3,187 imported vehicles were newly registered last month, up 58 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).
It was the first time for monthly sales of imported cars to exceed the 3,000-unit mark. The November figure was also up from the previous high of 2,953 units in September.
Really when you look at the numbers the amount of imported cars is still miniscule. Also IMHO people buy the imported cars more as a status symbol of their affluency then for any other practical reason. Plus the nationalism of buying a Hyundai has worn off which has further eroded car sales.
