Despite an overall downturn in the auto market, Tesla dominated South Korea's imported passenger car market in April. Data released on May 7 by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) showed new registrations of imported passenger cars totalled 33,993 units in April, up 58.1 percent from 21,495 a year earlier.

Tesla registered 13,190 units, accounting for 38.8 percent of all imported car registrations. Even combined, second-placed BMW with 6,658 units and third-placed Mercedes-Benz with 4,796 were only about half of Tesla's total. Tesla also swept the best-selling models. The Model Y Premium ranked first with 9,328 units, and the Model 3 Premium Long Range ranked second with 1,481 units.

Tesla's strong performance coincided with the electrification trend in the overall imported car market. Electric vehicle (others) registrations totalled 18,319 units in April, accounting for 53.9 percent of the total. The share of electric vehicles surpassed half for the first time by fuel type, and the gap with hybrids, which recorded 12,777 units or 37.6 percent, also widened.

By country, U.S.-made vehicles came second with 13,611 units, or 40.0 percent, behind Europe with 16,385 units or 48.2 percent. Tesla is assessed to have driven most of the U.S.-made share. Cumulative imported car registrations through April totalled 116,113 units, up 41.3 percent from 82,152 a year earlier.