Korea - Automotive Sales volume, 2025
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*The number of units listed is the number at the time of the announcement.
Flash report, Automotive sales volume, 2025
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Flash report, March 2025
Apr 1, 2025
*There are cases where recently released data and detailed information in the database do not match up for reasons including different information sources, and discrepancies between preliminary reports and confirmed data.
New vehicle sales by 5 major OEMs in South Korea increase 2.9% in March
Five Korean automakers announced domestic new vehicle sales in March. New vehicle sales in South Korea increased by 2.9% compared to the same month in the previous year to 123,817 units. Despite the broader economic slowdown, domestic growth was supported by individual consumption tax cuts, electric vehicle subsidies, and the introduction of new models. However, exports declined slightly due to unfavorable exchange rate fluctuations and ongoing uncertainties in select overseas markets.
By company, Hyundai Motor was the leader with sales of 63,090 units (51.0% market share), an increase of 0.9% year-over-year (y/y), followed by Kia Motors with a 2.0% increase to 50,006 units (40.4% share). Renault Korea ranked third with a 200.0% increase to 6,116 units (4.9% share). KGM sales declined by 31.8% to 3,208 units (2.6% share), while GM Korea saw a 31.5% decrease in sales to 1,397 units (1.1% share).
Overseas sales, including exports, decreased 2.6% at Hyundai, 19.3% at GM Korea and 58.0% at Renault Korea. Sales increased by 2.2% at Kia, 4.6% at KGM. In total, overseas sales decreased by 2.6% to 578,708 units.
Global sales for the five automakers in March were mixed as well, with Hyundai’s global sales decreased by 2.0% y/y to 365,812 units, while Kia’s rose by 2.2% to 277,730 units. GM Korea’s sales dropped by 19.7% to 41,244 units, and KGM’s declined by 11.4% to 9,483 units. Meanwhile, Renault Korea recorded a 15.7% increase to 8,256 units. Total global sales for the five companies declined by 1.6% y/y to 702,525 units. Notably, Kia achieved its highest first-quarter sales since it began vehicle production in 1962.
For the period January through March 2024, Hyundai’s global sales volume fell by 0.7% y/y to 999,626 units, while Kia’s rose by 1.5% to 771,463 units. GM Korea’s sales declined by 10.1% to 112,517 units, KGM’s dropped by 11.3% to 26,009 units, and Renault Korea’s increased by 14.4% to 18,172 units.
In terms of sales by model in March, Kia’s midsize SUV Sorento was ranked first with 10,155 units sold, followed by Kia’s MPV Carnival in second place with 7,710 units sold and Hyundai’s compact sedan Avante was third in sales with 6,829 units.
| Make | Domestic Sales | Overseas Sales | Global Sales Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Y-o-Y | Mar. 2025 |
Mar. 2024 |
Y-o-Y | Mar. 2025 |
Mar. 2024 |
Y-o-Y | |||
| Mar. | Share *1 | Mar. | Share *1 | ||||||||
| Hyundai | 63,090 | 51.0% | 62,504 | 52.0% | 0.9% | 302,722 | 310,786 | -2.6% | 365,812 | 373,290 | -2.0% |
| Kia | 50,006 | 40.4% | 49,006 | 40.7% | 2.0% | 227,724 | 222,713 | 2.2% | 277,730 | 271,719 | 2.2% |
| Renault Korea *3 | 6,116 | 4.9% | 2,039 | 1.7% | 200.0% | 2,140 | 5,094 | -58.0% | 8,256 | 7,133 | 15.7% |
| KGM | 3,208 | 2.6% | 4,702 | 3.9% | -31.8% | 6,275 | 6,000 | 4.6% | 9,483 | 10,702 | -11.4% |
| GM Korea *2 | 1,397 | 1.1% | 2,038 | 1.7% | -31.5% | 39,847 | 49,350 | -19.3% | 41,244 | 51,388 | -19.7% |
| Total | 123,817 | 100.0% | 120,289 | 100.0% | 2.9% | 578,708 | 593,943 | -2.6% | 702,525 | 714,232 | -1.6% |
*1: Share is based on MarkLines' own calculation. (calculated from total sales of five Korean makers)
*2: Exclude sales volume of Cadillac
*3: Includes Nissan Rogue
Registrations of new imported passenger cars
| Maker/Brand | 2025 | 2024 | Y-o-Y | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar. | Share | Mar. | Share | ||
| Mercedes-Benz | 6,762 | 26.8% | 4,197 | 16.6% | 61.1% |
| BMW | 6,378 | 25.3% | 6,549 | 25.9% | -2.6% |
| Tesla | 2,591 | 10.3% | 6,025 | 23.8% | -57.0% |
| Volvo | 1,424 | 5.6% | 1,081 | 4.3% | 31.7% |
| Lexus | 1,414 | 5.6% | 1,218 | 4.8% | 16.1% |
| Audi | 1,100 | 4.4% | 653 | 2.6% | 68.5% |
| Porsche | 1,091 | 4.3% | 781 | 3.1% | 39.7% |
| Toyota | 1,033 | 4.1% | 759 | 3.0% | 36.1% |
| Ford/Lincoln | 698 | 2.8% | 589 | 2.3% | 18.5% |
| MINI | 620 | 2.5% | 911 | 3.6% | -31.9% |
| Volkswagen | 584 | 2.3% | 949 | 3.8% | -38.5% |
| Land Rover | 527 | 2.1% | 338 | 1.3% | 55.9% |
| Polestar | 307 | 1.2% | 219 | 0.9% | 40.2% |
| Honda | 229 | 0.9% | 321 | 1.3% | -28.7% |
| Chrysler/Jeep | 174 | 0.7% | 294 | 1.2% | -40.8% |
| Peugeot | 76 | 0.3% | 94 | 0.4% | -19.1% |
| Cadillac | 48 | 0.2% | 53 | 0.2% | -9.4% |
| Ferrari | 44 | 0.2% | - | -% | -% |
| GM/GMC | 26 | 0.1% | 33 | 0.1% | -21.2% |
| Maserati | 23 | 0.1% | 22 | 0.1% | 4.5% |
| Lamborghini | 20 | 0.1% | 31 | 0.1% | -35.5% |
| Chevrolet | 18 | 0.1% | 117 | 0.5% | -84.6% |
| Rolls-Royce | 18 | 0.1% | 15 | 0.1% | 20.0% |
| Bentley | 14 | 0.1% | 14 | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| BYD | 10 | 0.0% | - | -% | -% |
| Total | 25,229 | 100.0% | 25,263 | 100.0% | -0.1% |
Flash report, February 2025
Mar 5, 2025
*There are cases where recently released data and detailed information in the database do not match up for reasons including different information sources, and discrepancies between preliminary reports and confirmed data.
Five Korean automakers announced domestic new vehicle sales in February. New vehicle sales in South Korea increased by 13.2% compared to the same month in the previous year to 112,258 units. As the Lunar New Year holiday fell in January this year, sales appear to have recovered due to an increase in the number of working days in February compared to the same month last year. Additionally, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) surged following the introduction of government subsidies earlier than last year.
By company, Hyundai Motor led the market with 57,216 units sold (51.0% market share), a 20.1% y/y increase, followed by Kia Motors with a 4.5% increase to 46,003 units (41.0% share). Renault Korea ranked third with a 170.1% increase to 4,881 units (4.3% share). KGM sales declined by 28.6% to 2,676 units (2.4% share), while GM Korea saw a 25.4% decrease in sales to 1,482 units (1.3% share).
Overseas sales, including exports, were mixed. Hyundai’s overseas sales declined by 1.1%, while Renault Korea saw a sharp drop of 76.0%. Meanwhile, Kia’s overseas sales increased by 4.4%, GM Korea by 33.3%, and KGM by 1.3%. In total, overseas sales rose by 2.3% to 517,756 units Renault Korea halted production for approximately five weeks, from December 31, 2024, to February 2, 2025, to transition into a future electric vehicle production base and upgrade a total of 68 facilities. Production resumed on February 10, but as the company prioritized manufacturing the Grand Koleos, a mid-sized SUV for domestic market, overseas sales were impacted in February.
Global sales for the five automakers in February were mixed as well, with Hyundai's global sales increased 2.1% y/y to 322,339 units, Kia's sales increased 4.5% to 253,465 units, GM Korea increased by 29.5% to 39,655 units, KGM decreased 10.5% to 8,456 units and Renault Korea decreased 11.3% to 6,099 units. The overall global sales total of the five companies was 630,014 units, an increase of 4.1%.
For the period from January through February 2025, Hyundai’s global sales volume decreased by 0.02% y/y to 633,301 units, Kia’s sales grew by 1.1% to 493,168 units, GM Korea declined by 3.5% to 71,273 units, KGM fell by 11.3% to 16,526 units, and Renault Korea increased by 13.4% to 9,916 units.
In terms of sales by model in February, Kia’s midsize SUV Sorento was ranked first with 9,067 units sold, followed by Kia’s MPV Carnival in second place with 7,734 units, and Kia’s compact SUV Sportage ranking third with 6,568 units sold.
South Korea - Sales of domestic make (Feb. 2025)
| Make | Domestic Sales | Overseas Sales | Global Sales Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Y-o-Y | Feb. 2025 |
Feb. 2024 |
Y-o-Y | Feb. 2025 |
Feb. 2024 |
Y-o-Y | |||
| Feb. | Share *1 | Feb. | Share *1 | ||||||||
| Hyundai | 57,216 | 51.0% | 47,653 | 48.0% | 20.1% | 265,123 | 267,940 | -1.1% | 322,339 | 315,593 | 2.1% |
| Kia | 46,003 | 41.0% | 44,008 | 44.4% | 4.5% | 207,462 | 198,636 | 4.4% | 253,465 | 242,644 | 4.5% |
| Renault Korea *3 | 4,881 | 4.3% | 1,807 | 1.8% | 170.1% | 1,218 | 5,070 | -76.0% | 6,099 | 6,877 | -11.3% |
| KGM | 2,676 | 2.4% | 3,748 | 3.8% | -28.6% | 5,780 | 5,704 | 1.3% | 8,456 | 9,452 | -10.5% |
| GM Korea *2 | 1,482 | 1.3% | 1,987 | 2.0% | -25.4% | 38,173 | 28,643 | 33.3% | 39,655 | 30,630 | 29.5% |
| Total | 112,258 | 100.0% | 99,203 | 100.0% | 13.2% | 517,756 | 505,993 | 2.3% | 630,014 | 605,196 | 4.1% |
*1: Share is based on MarkLines' own calculation. (calculated from total sales of five Korean makers)
*2: Exclude sales volume of Cadillac
*3: Includes Nissan Rogue
Registrations of new imported passenger cars
| Maker/Brand | 2025 | 2024 | Y-o-Y | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. | Share | Feb. | Share | ||
| BMW | 6,274 | 31.1% | 6,089 | 37.5% | 3.0% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 4,663 | 23.1% | 3,592 | 22.1% | 29.8% |
| Tesla | 2,222 | 11.0% | 174 | 1.1% | 1,177.0% |
| Lexus | 1,337 | 6.6% | 919 | 5.7% | 45.5% |
| Volvo | 1,046 | 5.2% | 961 | 5.9% | 8.8% |
| Porsche | 703 | 3.5% | 828 | 5.1% | -15.1% |
| Toyota | 623 | 3.1% | 736 | 4.5% | -15.4% |
| Audi | 609 | 3.0% | 268 | 1.7% | 127.2% |
| MINI | 538 | 2.7% | 755 | 4.6% | -28.7% |
| Ford/Lincoln | 512 | 2.5% | 530 | 3.3% | -3.4% |
| Volkswagen | 499 | 2.5% | 462 | 2.8% | 8.0% |
| Land Rover | 442 | 2.2% | 275 | 1.7% | 60.7% |
| Honda | 298 | 1.5% | 111 | 0.7% | 168.5% |
| Chrysler/Jeep | 111 | 0.5% | 167 | 1.0% | -33.5% |
| Polestar | 71 | 0.4% | 3 | 0.0% | 2,266.7% |
| Peugeot | 40 | 0.2% | 106 | 0.7% | -62.3% |
| Lamborghini | 35 | 0.2% | 4 | 0.0% | 775.0% |
| Chevrolet | 33 | 0.2% | 136 | 0.8% | -75.7% |
| Maserati | 30 | 0.1% | 16 | 0.1% | 87.5% |
| Ferrari | 28 | 0.1% | - | -% | -% |
| Bentley | 26 | 0.1% | 11 | 0.1% | 136.4% |
| Cadillac | 25 | 0.1% | 63 | 0.4% | -60.3% |
| GM/GMC | 21 | 0.1% | 20 | 0.1% | 5.0% |
| Rolls-Royce | 13 | 0.1% | 11 | 0.1% | 18.2% |
| Total | 20,199 | 100.0% | 16,237 | 100.0% | 24.4% |
Flash report, January 2025
Feb 3, 2025
*There are cases where recently released data and detailed information in the database do not match up for reasons including different information sources, and discrepancies between preliminary reports and confirmed data.
New vehicle sales by 5 major OEMs in South Korea decrease 11.8% in January
Five Korean automakers announced domestic new vehicle sales in January. New vehicle sales in South Korea declined by 11.8% year-over-year (y/y) to 90,587 units. Due to the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday, the reduction in business days in February also affected production for both domestic sales and exports.
By company, Hyundai Motor was the leader with sales of 46,054 units (50.8% market share), a decrease of 7.5% year-over-year (y/y), followed by Kia Motors with a 13.9% decrease to 38,403 units (42.4% share). Renault Korea came in third place with a 58.1% increase to 2,601 units (2.9% share). KGM sales decreased by 38.9% to 2,300 units (2.5% share), and fifth GM Korea experienced a decrease in sales of 57.5% to 1,229 units (1.4% share). Despite temporarily halting operations at its Busan plant for one month in January 2025 to upgrade its EV production facilities, Renault Korea was the only company to achieve sales growth.
Overseas sales, including exports, decreased 1.4% at Hyundai, 24.6% at GM Korea. Sales increased by 0.1% at Kia, 438.1 % at Renault Korea and 5.0% at KGM. In total, overseas sales decreased by 2.4% to 502,623 units.
Global sales of five automakers in January were mixed, with Hyundai's global sales down 2.3% y/y to 310,399 units, Kia’s sales down 2.4% to 239,396 units and GM Korea’s sales decreased 26.8% to 31,618 units. KGM’s sales decreased 13.0% to 7,980 units. Meanwhile, Renault Korea more than doubled its sales, increasing 104.0% to 3,817 units. Total global sales for the five companies fell 3.9% y/y to 593,210 units.
By model in January, Kia’s mid-size SUV Sorento was ranked first with 7,454 units sold, followed by Kia’s compact SUV Sportage in second place with 6,547 units sold and Kia’s MPV Carnival was third in sales with 6,068 units.
South Korea - Sales of domestic make (Jan. 2025)
| Make | Domestic Sales | Overseas Sales | Global Sales Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Y-o-Y | Jan. 2025 |
Jan. 2024 |
Y-o-Y | Jan. 2025 |
Jan. 2024 |
Y-o-Y | |||
| Jan. | Share *1 | Jan. | Share *1 | ||||||||
| Hyundai |
46,054
|
50.8%
|
49,810
|
48.5%
|
-7.5%
|
264,345
|
268,013
|
-1.4%
|
310,399
|
317,823
|
-2.3%
|
| Kia |
38,403
|
42.4%
|
44,608
|
43.4%
|
-13.9%
|
200,993
|
200,794
|
0.1%
|
239,396
|
245,402
|
-2.4%
|
| Renault Korea *3 |
2,601
|
2.9%
|
1,645
|
1.6%
|
58.1%
|
1,216
|
226
|
438.1%
|
3,817
|
1,871
|
104.0%
|
| KGM |
2,300
|
2.5%
|
3,762
|
3.7%
|
-38.9%
|
5,680
|
5,410
|
5.0%
|
7,980
|
9,172
|
-13.0%
|
| GM Korea *2 |
1,229
|
1.4%
|
2,894
|
2.8%
|
-57.5%
|
30,389
|
40,300
|
-24.6%
|
31,618
|
43,194
|
-26.8%
|
| Total |
90,587
|
100.0%
|
102,719
|
100.0%
|
-11.8%
|
502,623
|
514,743
|
-2.4%
|
593,210
|
617,462
|
-3.9%
|
Source: Releases by each companies
*1: Share is based on MarkLines' own calculation. (calculated from total sales of five Korean makers)
*2: Exclude sales volume of Cadillac
*3: Includes Nissan Rogue
Registrations of new imported passenger cars
| Maker/Brand | 2025 | 2024 | Y-o-Y | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. | Share | Jan. | Share | ||
| BMW | 5,960 | 39.1% | 4,330 | 33.1% | 37.6% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 3,790 | 24.9% | 2,931 | 22.4% | 29.3% |
| Lexus | 1,126 | 7.4% | 998 | 7.6% | 12.8% |
| Volvo | 1,033 | 6.8% | 965 | 7.4% | 7.0% |
| Porsche | 644 | 4.2% | 677 | 5.2% | -4.9% |
| Ford/Lincoln | 500 | 3.3% | 514 | 3.9% | -2.7% |
| Toyota | 430 | 2.8% | 786 | 6.0% | -45.3% |
| Land Rover | 325 | 2.1% | 340 | 2.6% | -4.4% |
| Audi | 320 | 2.1% | 179 | 1.4% | 78.8% |
| MINI | 234 | 1.5% | 543 | 4.2% | -56.9% |
| Honda | 177 | 1.2% | 177 | 1.4% | 0.0% |
| Chevrolet | 134 | 0.9% | 155 | 1.2% | -13.5% |
| Volkswagen | 129 | 0.8% | 53 | 0.4% | 143.4% |
| Chrysler/Jeep | 120 | 0.8% | 213 | 1.6% | -43.7% |
| Polestar | 103 | 0.7% | 0 | 0.0% | -% |
| Lamborghini | 58 | 0.4% | 7 | 0.1% | 728.6% |
| Peugeot | 38 | 0.2% | 101 | 0.8% | -62.4% |
| Ferrari | 32 | 0.2% | - | -% | -% |
| Cadillac | 26 | 0.2% | 57 | 0.4% | -54.4% |
| GM/GMC | 14 | 0.1% | 18 | 0.1% | -22.2% |
| Maserati | 14 | 0.1% | 16 | 0.1% | -12.5% |
| Bentley | 10 | 0.1% | 13 | 0.1% | -23.1% |
| Rolls-Royce | 7 | 0.0% | 9 | 0.1% | -22.2% |
| Tesla | 5 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% | 400.0% |
| Total | 15,229 | 100.0% | 13,083 | 100.0% | 16.4% |
Source: Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA)