Race for 4th place heats up in Korean import car market

Lexus, Volvo and Audi are racing to secure the fourth sales spot and solidify their luxury identity in Korea's lucrative imported car market, dominated by BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla. According to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), BMW led foreign car sales between January and August with 51,228 vehicles, followed by Mercedes-Benz with 41,379 and Tesla with 34,543. Lexus secured the fourth spot among best-selling foreign automakers between January and August, selling more than 10,200 vehicles, up 14.9 percent from a year earlier, driven by strong sales of its ES 300h hybrid sedan. However, it is too early to say if the carmaker will be able to maintain its position through the year, as Volvo and Audi are also showing strong growth. Volvo came in fifth with sales of some 9,000 vehicles during the same period. Volvo maintained the fourth position in the foreign car market here last year. Volvo Car Korea, however, continues to pose a threat to Lexus Korea, as its sales are rapidly rising with aggressive launches of new vehicles. In July, the carmake