The Hyundai Staria-based ST1 makes its first appearance in the South Korean ranking.
The South Korean new car market drops -7.1% year-on-year in May to 140,886 sales, including 116,677 locals (-10.5%) and 24,209 foreigners (+13.4%). Year-to-date volumes are off -9.8% to 658,593 including 558,241 locals (-10.9%) and 100,352 foreigners (-3.5%). Hyundai (-7.4%) lodges a third consecutive month atop the brands charts with 37% share, well ahead of sister brand Kia (-8.2%) at 32.8% of its home market. However this is not enough to topple Kia from the year-to-date top spot, yet the gap between the two brands has narrowed to just 1,500 sales. Genesis (-18.4%) is in grave difficulty but manages a five-figure monthly result for the 7th consecutive month. Tesla ranks #6 with 3% share, just as Lincoln (+168.9%), Honda (+121.7%), Ford (+37%) and Lexus (+35.4%), impress below.
The Kia Sorento (+15.2%) delivers its 5th consecutive monthly win and 8th win in the past 9 month, towering above the models ranking. 72.8% of Sorento sales go to the hybrid variant. The Kia Carnival (+7.7%) climbs two spots on April to #2 overall, a ranking it also holds year-to-date. Hybrid sales represent 49.1% of Carnival sales this month. The Hyundai Porter (-13.3%) and Grandeur (-40.6%) follow ahead of the Kia Sportage (+7.4%) with 46% going to hybrid versions. The Hyundai Sonata (+121.3%), Santa Fe (+119.2%) and Kia Seltos (+27.7%) also shine. The Hyundai ST1, the brand’s first electric work van, makes its appearance inside the ranking at #49.
Over in the foreign models aisle, the Tesla Model 3 (+3708.6%) triumphs with over 3,500 sales, distancing the Mercedes E-Class (+53.1%) and BMW 5 Series (-18.1%). The 5 Series stays in the YTD lead. The next six models spectacularly score double-digit year-on-year improvements, with the Tesla Model Y (+87.6%) the most dynamic followed by the BMW X3 (+63.5%), Lexus NX (+62.2%), Volvo XC60 (+60.5%) and BMW 6 Series (+32%).
Previous month: South Korea April 2024: Kia Sorento and Sportage top negative market
One year ago: South Korea May 2023: Hyundai Grandeur, Kia Seltos impress
Full May 2024 Top 30 All brands, Top 53 local models and Top 50 foreign models below.
South Korea May 2024 – brands:
| Pos | Brand | May-24 | % | /23 | Apr | 2024 | % | /23 | Pos | FY23 |
| 1 | Hyundai | 52,064 | 37.0% | – 7.4% | 1 | 230,210 | 35.0% | – 15.3% | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Kia | 46,235 | 32.8% | – 8.2% | 2 | 231,737 | 35.2% | – 4.1% | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Genesis | 10,136 | 7.2% | – 18.4% | 3 | 55,690 | 8.5% | + 0.5% | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | BMW | 6,240 | 4.4% | + 3.4% | 5 | 28,958 | 4.4% | – 3.5% | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Mercedes | 5,947 | 4.2% | – 5.5% | 4 | 23,350 | 3.5% | – 14.8% | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Tesla | 4,165 | 3.0% | n/a | 9 | 12,087 | 1.8% | n/a | 7 | 11 |
| 7 | KG Mobility (ex Ssangyong) | 4,001 | 2.8% | – 16.8% | 6 | 19,876 | 3.0% | – 40.2% | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | GM Korea | 2,340 | 1.7% | – 50.8% | 7 | 11,556 | 1.8% | – 16.4% | 8 | 7 |
| 9 | Renault Korea | 1,901 | 1.3% | + 6.9% | 8 | 9,172 | 1.4% | – 13.1% | 9 | 8 |
| 10 | Volvo | 1,516 | 1.1% | + 0.9% | 10 | 5,733 | 0.9% | – 19.2% | 10 | 10 |
| 11 | Lexus | 1,319 | 0.9% | + 35.4% | 11 | 5,374 | 0.8% | + 1.5% | 11 | 12 |
| 12 | Audi | 831 | 0.6% | – 7.9% | 13 | 2,701 | 0.4% | – 67.4% | 15 | 9 |
| 13 | Mini | 722 | 0.5% | – 16.2% | 14 | 3,607 | 0.5% | + 4.2% | 13 | 15 |
| 14 | Toyota | 701 | 0.5% | + 11.4% | 12 | 3,875 | 0.6% | + 28.7% | 12 | 16 |
| 15 | Volkswagen | 445 | 0.3% | – 48.4% | 16 | 2,475 | 0.4% | – 8.4% | 16 | 14 |
| 16 | Porsche | 390 | 0.3% | – 61.2% | 15 | 3,296 | 0.5% | – 35.6% | 14 | 13 |
| 17 | Ford | 385 | 0.3% | + 37.0% | 17 | 1,629 | 0.2% | – 11.7% | 17 | 20 |
| 18 | Land Rover | 351 | 0.2% | – 14.4% | 19 | 1,572 | 0.2% | – 36.6% | 18 | 18 |
| 19 | Jeep | 277 | 0.2% | – 3.8% | 18 | 1,232 | 0.2% | – 23.6% | 19 | 19 |
| 20 | Lincoln | 242 | 0.2% | + 168.9% | 20 | 1,181 | 0.2% | + 91.1% | 20 | 22 |
| 21 | Honda | 235 | 0.2% | + 121.7% | 21 | 1,011 | 0.2% | + 118.8% | 21 | 24 |
| 22 | Peugeot | 93 | 0.1% | – 45.6% | 22 | 495 | 0.1% | – 15.8% | 23 | 21 |
| 23 | Chevrolet | 82 | 0.1% | – 79.3% | 23 | 575 | 0.1% | – 74.8% | 22 | 17 |
| 24 | Lamborghini | 53 | 0.0% | – 8.6% | 25 | 155 | 0.0% | + 8.4% | 26 | 29 |
| 25 | Cadillac | 52 | 0.0% | – 40.9% | 26 | 275 | 0.0% | – 28.0% | 25 | 25 |
| 26 | Maserati | 51 | 0.0% | – 17.7% | 29 | 128 | 0.0% | – 21.0% | 28 | 28 |
| 27 | Bentley | 38 | 0.0% | – 51.9% | 28 | 100 | 0.0% | – 65.6% | 29 | 26 |
| 28 | Polestar | 30 | 0.0% | – 78.7% | 24 | 335 | 0.1% | + 9.5% | 24 | 23 |
| 29 | GMC | 26 | 0.0% | – 50.9% | 27 | 133 | 0.0% | – 42.7% | 27 | 27 |
| 30 | Rolls-Royce | 18 | 0.0% | – 47.1% | 30 | 75 | 0.0% | – 32.4% | 30 | 30 |
| – | Total local manufacturers | 116,677 | 82.8% | – 10.5% | – | 558,241 | 84.8% | – 10.9% | – | – |
| – | Total foreign manufacturers | 24,209 | 17.2% | + 13.4% | – | 100,352 | 15.2% | – 3.5% | – | – |
| – | Total market | 140,886 | 100.0% | – 7.1% | – | 658,593 | 100.0% | – 9.8% | – | – |
South Korea May 2023 – domestic models:
| Pos | Model | May-24 | /23 | Apr | 2024 | /23 | Pos | FY23 |
| 1 | Kia Sorento | 7,487 | + 15.2% | 1 | 42,281 | + 42.9% | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Kia Carnival | 7,211 | + 7.7% | 4 | 36,771 | + 11.5% | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Hyundai Porter | 6,989 | – 13.3% | 5 | 32,116 | – 28.8% | 5 | 2 |
| 4 | Hyundai Grandeur | 6,884 | – 40.6% | 3 | 27,667 | – 46.2% | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | Kia Sportage | 6,644 | + 7.4% | 2 | 33,484 | + 12.9% | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | Kia Seltos | 6,120 | + 27.7% | 8 | 23,804 | + 9.6% | 7 | 10 |
| 7 | Hyundai Sonata | 5,820 | + 121.3% | 11 | 16,512 | + 39.3% | 16 | 17 |
| 8 | Hyundai Avante | 5,793 | – 12.2% | 7 | 22,517 | – 27.2% | 8 | 6 |
| 9 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 5,605 | + 119.2% | 6 | 34,765 | + 163.2% | 3 | 8 |
| 10 | Hyundai Tucson | 4,838 | + 14.1% | 14 | 20,846 | + 5.4% | 11 | 12 |
| 11 | Kia Ray | 4,456 | – 2.6% | 12 | 21,710 | + 4.7% | 9 | 9 |
| 12 | Kia Bongo | 4,050 | – 23.1% | 13 | 19,189 | – 35.8% | 13 | 7 |
| 13 | Hyundai Casper | 3,861 | – 5.0% | 16 | 16,976 | + 0.1% | 14 | 11 |
| 14 | Genesis G80 | 3,647 | – 24.2% | 9 | 20,661 | – 7.8% | 12 | 13 |
| 15 | Genesis GV80 | 3,313 | + 21.0% | 15 | 20,949 | + 74.7% | 10 | 22 |
| 16 | Hyundai Kona | 2,773 | + 10.0% | 18 | 11,687 | – 24.4% | 18 | 19 |
| 17 | Hyundai Staria | 2,744 | – 23.1% | 10 | 16,585 | – 4.2% | 15 | 16 |
| 18 | Kia K5 | 2,405 | – 24.0% | 17 | 15,456 | + 6.3% | 17 | 20 |
| 19 | Genesis GV70 | 2,066 | – 21.0% | 23 | 9,012 | – 24.7% | 21 | 21 |
| 20 | Kia K8 | 1,873 | – 58.3% | 19 | 10,959 | – 47.0% | 19 | 15 |
| 21 | Chevrolet Trax Crossover | 1,841 | – 45.8% | 22 | 8,756 | + 35.4% | 22 | 24 |
| 22 | Kia Niro | 1,776 | – 27.6% | 20 | 7,032 | – 35.3% | 24 | 25 |
| 23 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 1,590 | – 33.6% | 24 | 5,294 | – 35.5% | 27 | 27 |
| 24 | KGM Torres | 1,552 | – 37.0% | 27 | 7,068 | – 69.1% | 23 | 18 |
| 25 | Kia EV6 | 1,380 | – 27.1% | 28 | 3,875 | – 59.4% | 30 | 26 |
| 26 | Hyundai Palisade | 1,335 | – 62.4% | 21 | 9,204 | – 53.8% | 20 | 14 |
| 27 | Kia K3 | 995 | + 2.1% | 26 | 6,525 | + 35.5% | 25 | 29 |
| 28 | KGM Rexton Sports | 974 | – 31.5% | 30 | 5,288 | – 15.6% | 28 | 28 |
| 29 | Renault Korea Arkana | 945 | + 21.6% | 29 | 4,844 | + 11.4% | 29 | 33 |
| 30 | Kia Morning | 907 | – 63.7% | 25 | 6,098 | – 42.8% | 26 | 23 |
| 31 | Genesis G90 | 866 | – 38.9% | 31 | 3,783 | – 29.1% | 31 | 30 |
| 32 | Renault Korea QM6 | 760 | – 8.1% | 33 | 3,731 | – 26.0% | 32 | 31 |
| 33 | KGM Torres EVX | 688 | new | 32 | 3,325 | new | 33 | 45 |
| 34 | Hyundai Venue | 603 | + 18.0% | 37 | 1,827 | – 30.4% | 37 | 34 |
| 35 | KGM Tivoli | 478 | + 26.8% | 34 | 2,773 | + 37.1% | 34 | 37 |
| 36 | Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 377 | – 66.2% | 36 | 1,836 | – 70.8% | 36 | 32 |
| 37 | Chevrolet Trailblazer | 368 | – 61.1% | 35 | 2,071 | – 39.4% | 35 | 36 |
| 38 | Hyundai Nexo | 316 | – 22.9% | 40 | 1,169 | – 55.4% | 39 | 39 |
| 39 | Kia K9 | 282 | – 9.0% | 39 | 1,041 | – 45.1% | 41 | 41 |
| 40 | Kia Mohave | 224 | – 29.6% | 38 | 1,311 | – 47.5% | 38 | 38 |
| 41 | KGM Rexton | 220 | – 42.0% | 42 | 924 | – 30.5% | 43 | 43 |
| 42 | Kia EV9 | 182 | new | 41 | 1,112 | new | 40 | 35 |
| 43 | Genesis G70 | 156 | – 37.1% | 43 | 1,024 | – 37.2% | 42 | 40 |
| 44 | Renault Korea Master | 151 | n/a | – | 151 | + 143.5% | 48 | 57 |
| 45 | Chevrolet Traverse | 94 | + 4.4% | 47 | 459 | – 6.5% | 45 | 50 |
| 46 | KGM Korando | 89 | – 47.0% | 44 | 498 | – 31.5% | 44 | 48 |
| 47 | Genesis GV60 | 88 | – 85.3% | 45 | 261 | – 87.3% | 47 | 42 |
| 48 | Renault Korea SM6 | 45 | – 74.1% | 46 | 446 | – 59.2% | 46 | 44 |
| 49 | Hyundai ST1 | 24 | new | – | 24 | new | 52 | – |
| 50 | GMC Sierra | 23 | – 54.0% | 48 | 127 | – 43.8% | 49 | 53 |
| 51 | Chevrolet Tahoe | 13 | – 60.6% | 49 | 45 | – 60.9% | 51 | 54 |
| 52 | Chevrolet Colorado | 0 | – 100.0% | 50 | 71 | – 89.8% | 50 | 46 |
| 53 | Chevrolet Equinox | 0 | – 100.0% | – | 12 | – 95.7% | 53 | 51 |
South Korea May 2024 – foreign models:
| Pos | Model | May-24 | /23 | Apr | 2024 | /23 | Pos | FY23 |
| 1 | Tesla Model 3 | 3,542 | + 3708.6% | 2 | 5,273 | + 1313.7% | 4 | n/a |
| 2 | Mercedes E Class | 2,244 | + 53.1% | 1 | 6,440 | – 12.0% | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | BMW 5 Series | 1,443 | – 18.1% | 3 | 8,450 | – 10.5% | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Mercedes GLC | 897 | + 36.9% | 5 | 2,772 | + 7.8% | 6 | 8 |
| 5 | BMW 6 Series | 689 | + 32.0% | 27 | 1,383 | – 43.1% | 19 | 11 |
| 6 | BMW X3 | 649 | + 63.5% | 12 | 2,313 | – 13.9% | 10 | 14 |
| 7 | Tesla Model Y | 621 | + 87.6% | n/a | 6,637 | + 357.4% | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | Volvo XC60 | 573 | + 60.5% | 11 | 2,248 | + 12.7% | 11 | 10 |
| 9 | Lexus NX | 550 | + 62.2% | n/a | 1,200 | – 6.1% | 23 | 22 |
| 10 | Lexus ES | 543 | – 0.5% | 7 | 2,960 | – 18.7% | 5 | 6 |
| 11 | BMW 3 Series | 477 | + 19.3% | 8 | 1,819 | – 17.8% | 13 | 9 |
| 12 | Mercedes GLE | 473 | – 20.4% | 9 | 2,479 | + 8.2% | 9 | 7 |
| 13 | Mercedes S Class | 466 | – 45.6% | 6 | 2,027 | – 56.8% | 12 | 4 |
| 14 | BMW X5 | 373 | – 0.3% | 13 | 2,487 | + 5.7% | 8 | 12 |
| 15 | BMW X4 | 337 | + 12.7% | 14 | 1,675 | – 38.0% | 16 | 13 |
| 16 | BMW 7 Series | 327 | + 25.3% | 10 | 1,546 | + 77.7% | 17 | 21 |
| 17 | BMW X7 | 313 | + 20.4% | 17 | 1,694 | + 33.8% | 15 | 18 |
| 18 | Volvo XC40 | 289 | – 3.7% | 32 | 900 | – 3.5% | 27 | 36 |
| 19 | Mini Countryman | 288 | + 19.5% | 21 | 1,439 | + 53.4% | 18 | 27 |
| 20 | Audi Q4 e-Tron | 288 | n/a | 18 | 1,113 | + 27725.0% | 25 | n/a |
| 21 | Audi A6 | 287 | + 19.6% | 41 | 581 | – 85.0% | 43 | 5 |
| 22 | Mercedes A Class | 269 | + 105.3% | 15 | 1,302 | + 162.5% | 21 | n/a |
| 23 | Mercedes CLE | 250 | new | 23 | 755 | new | 33 | – |
| 24 | Mercedes C Class | 229 | – 47.4% | 4 | 2,568 | + 15.4% | 7 | 16 |
| 25 | BMW X6 | 229 | – 36.9% | 24 | 1,322 | – 11.7% | 20 | 19 |
| 26 | Toyota RAV4 | 228 | + 0.4% | 19 | 1,165 | + 1.4% | 24 | 25 |
| 27 | Mini Cooper Hatch | 219 | – 45.7% | 20 | 1,263 | – 24.6% | 22 | 20 |
| 28 | Mercedes G Class | 209 | – 28.4% | 22 | 719 | – 5.1% | 34 | 34 |
| 29 | Mercedes EQE | 205 | – 18.0% | 31 | 1,024 | + 10.0% | 26 | 23 |
| 30 | Volvo S90 | 204 | – 33.3% | 25 | 897 | – 38.0% | 28 | 24 |
| 31 | Volvo XC90 | 200 | – 21.9% | 33 | 688 | – 34.5% | 36 | 29 |
| 32 | Mercedes GLB | 188 | – 6.0% | 26 | 667 | – 14.6% | 37 | 31 |
| 33 | Toyota Camry | 178 | + 4.7% | 34 | 767 | – 8.6% | 31 | n/a |
| 34 | BMW iX3 | 172 | – 48.8% | n/a | 711 | + 18.1% | 35 | 28 |
| 35 | BMW i5 | 167 | new | 30 | 888 | new | 29 | n/a |
| 36 | Range Rover | 167 | – 13.0% | 43 | 595 | – 55.1% | 41 | 30 |
| 37 | Ford Explorer | 166 | + 66.0% | 36 | 577 | – 51.3% | 44 | n/a |
| 38 | Lexus RX | 158 | + 3060.0% | 37 | 762 | + 9425.0% | 32 | n/a |
| 39 | VW Jetta | 156 | + 5100.0% | 46 | 658 | + 181.2% | 38 | n/a |
| 40 | BMW X1 | 138 | + 45.3% | 28 | 829 | + 260.4% | 30 | 38 |
| 41 | BMW 4 Series | 136 | + 248.7% | 39 | 552 | + 27.2% | 45 | n/a |
| 42 | Lincoln Aviator | 134 | + 538.1% | 47 | 529 | + 193.9% | 47 | n/a |
| 43 | Mini Clubman | 132 | – 18.0% | 42 | 614 | + 5.7% | 40 | 35 |
| 44 | Mercedes CLA | 122 | – 30.7% | 51 | 450 | – 48.5% | 52 | n/a |
| 45 | Jeep Wrangler | 121 | – 12.3% | 44 | 471 | + 31.6% | 51 | n/a |
| 46 | Porsche 911 | 120 | – 18.9% | 50 | 475 | – 13.5% | 50 | n/a |
| 47 | Volvo S60 | 118 | + 13.5% | n/a | 534 | – 14.4% | 46 | n/a |
| 48 | BMW iX1 | 118 | + 10.3% | 48 | 300 | + 58.7% | 57 | n/a |
| 49 | Honda Accord | 111 | n/a | n/a | 406 | + 2288.2% | 53 | n/a |
| 50 | Porsche Cayenne | 110 | – 76.5% | 16 | 1,819 | – 30.0% | 14 | 15 |
Source: KAIDA, Manufacturers