Volvo Trucks retained its position as the top-selling imported commercial vehicle brand in South Korea in September, even as overall registrations slipped slightly from a year earlier.
New registrations of imported commercial vehicles totaled 290 units last month, according to data released on the 12th by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA). The figure marked a 31.2% increase from August, when 221 units were registered, but a 0.7% decline from the 292 units recorded in September last year. Cumulative registrations for the January-September period came to 2,782 units, down 8.5% from 3,041 units a year earlier.
By brand, Volvo Trucks led with 80 units. Scania followed with 72 units, ahead of MAN with 50, Mercedes-Benz with 48, Mercedes-Benz Vans with 25 and IVECO with 15.
Volvo Trucks' registrations rose 1.3% from August but fell 29.8% from September last year. Mercedes-Benz posted gains of 84.6% from the previous month and 33.3% from a year earlier. Mercedes-Benz Vans surged 177.8% from both August and September of last year.
On a cumulative basis through September, Mercedes-Benz Vans registered 130 units, up 49.4% from 87 units a year earlier, the only one of the six brands to post double-digit growth. IVECO, by contrast, managed 98 units, roughly half the 189 units recorded in the same period last year.
By vehicle type, tractors accounted for the largest share in September with 129 units, followed by special-purpose vehicles with 120, dump trucks with 38 and cargo trucks with three.