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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Tesla has overtaken Kia to become the top-selling brand in South Korea’s passenger electric vehicle (EV) market for the first time, driven by growing demand among younger consumers for EVs and software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association and industry data released on May 10, Tesla sold a total of 13,190 vehicles in the Korean market in April, marking the highest monthly sales volume ever recorded by an imported car brand in the country.
This performance allowed Tesla to surpass Kia’s EV sales of 11,673 units (excluding the PV5), making it the first time Tesla has ranked No. 1 in South Korea’s passenger EV segment.
Industry observers attribute Tesla’s strong performance largely to younger consumers in their 20s and 30s, who are increasingly favoring EVs and SDVs. Continued high fuel prices have boosted EV demand, while Tesla’s recent price reductions have also contributed to the surge in sales.
Tesla achieved these results solely through its EV lineup, including the Model Y and Model 3. Notably, the Model Y led sales with 10,086 units sold in April alone.
The growing consumer preference for software capabilities—such as autonomous driving and in-car infotainment—over traditional vehicle performance has further supported Tesla’s expansion in the market.
However, concerns are being raised within the domestic auto industry and government regarding regulatory compliance. While Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature is not officially available on some models sold in South Korea, there have been cases of consumers attempting to activate the feature illegally.
According to the office of Rep. Park Yong-gap of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, a total of 85 attempts to illegally enable FSD functionality had been recorded as of April 28.
In South Korea, FSD is officially supported only on U.S.-manufactured Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck vehicles, and is not available on China-produced Model Y and Model 3 units.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
