Tesla dominates EV sales in S.Korea, as local brands suffer slump

Sales of electric vehicles in South Korea reached 22,267 units in the first half, up 23 percent from the same period last year, as American EV maker Tesla sold 7,080 electric passenger cars.

Tesla accounted for 43.4 percent of the 16,359 electric passenger cars sold during the period, which slightly declined by 2.7 percent from last year.

The American EV maker also accounted for 80.4 percent of the total sales of imported electric vehicles in August, selling 1,248 units of its Model 3, 42 of its sport utility vehicle Model X, and 29 of its luxury sedan Model S.

Hyundai Motor’s electric cars saw its overall sales drop 2.9 percent while Kia Motors' sales plummeted 54.6 percent in the first half.

However, Hyundai and Kia are betting big on EVs, with Hyundai releasing crossover utility vehicles Ioniq 5 and Genesis JW made with electric vehicle production platforms called E-GMP next year. It will also release an electric vehicle version of Genesis G80.

Kia Motors plans to release a new EV tentatively called CV next year and is set to release seven EVs by 2027 using the E-GMP.
SsangYong Motor will launch its first fully electric model, codenamed E100, next year.

Audi is a distant second, selling 177 of its e-tron in August and 595 overall since its launch in July.

Peugeot came in third, selling 42 units of its e-208 subcompact electric car and one e-2008 SUV unit in August.

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz sold 44 units of its EQC, the BMW sold 10 of its i3s, and Jaguar selling I-PACE EV400 last month.

BMW is focusing on plug-in hybrids and intends to release its pure electric vehicle iX3 next year in South Korea, while Porsche is eyeing a November 2021 release of its first EV, Taycan, in South Korea.