Tesla ranks third brand, Model Y second in Korea

Tesla’s April sales in South Korea have put the U.S. automaker in a rare position in one of Asia’s most brand-loyal car markets. Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, or KAIDA, data released on May 7 showed Tesla sold 13,190 imported passenger vehicles in April, keeping the top spot among imported brands for a third straight month. Separate market-tracker reports published on May 12 and May 13 said the Model Y ranked as South Korea’s second-best-selling vehicle overall in April, behind only Hyundai’s Avante. Tesla also widened its retail push in India this week, with Tesla’s India website listing Model Y demo drives and multiple store locations as the company expands showrooms in the country. ### How high did Tesla climb in South Korea’s April rankings? KAIDA said 33,993 imported passenger cars were registered in South Korea in April, up 58.1% from a year earlier, and Tesla accounted for 13,190 of them. That made Tesla the No. 1 imported brand in April, ahead of BMW at 6,658 and Mercedes-Benz at 4,796, according to KAIDA-based reports. (biz.chosun.com) Market-wide rankings beyond the imported segment are less centralized, but Best Selling Cars Blog reported on May 12 that Tesla rose to No. 3 among all brands in South Korea in April, behind Hyundai and Kia. The same report said the Model Y moved to No. 2 among all light vehicles sold in the country that month. Basenor, citing the same April data, published the same overall ranking on May 13. (ajupress.com) ### What did the Model Y do that stands out in the data? Chosun Biz reported on May 7, citing KAIDA, that Tesla’s Model Y sold 10,086 units in April. The report said that was the first time a single imported model in South Korea had exceeded 10,000 monthly sales. The Korea Herald, also citing KAIDA, reported a variant-level breakdown that listed the Model Y Premium at 9,328 units and the Model 3 Premium Long Range at 1,481. (bestsellingcarsblog.com) Sedaily reported that imported EVs accounted for 53.9% of Korea’s imported passenger-car market in April, with Tesla and BYD both posting record monthly sales. ### Who else was selling in Korea’s import market? (biz.chosun.com) BMW remained Tesla’s closest imported-brand rival in April with 6,658 registrations, while Mercedes-Benz sold 4,796 and BYD sold 2,023, according to KAIDA-based reports. Volvo followed with 1,105. Jung Yoon-young, KAIDA’s vice chair, said sales “remained similar to the previous month thanks to strong EV demand and new model launches by some brands,” according to the Korea Herald. (koreaherald.com) That comment came as imported registrations were nearly flat month-on-month at 33,993 in April versus 33,970 in March. ### Why did India appear in the same week as the Korea sales chatter? (ajupress.com) Tesla’s India website currently lists Model Y demo drives and store or experience-center locations in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex, New Delhi’s Aerocity and Gurugram’s Orchid Business Park. A Tesla event page also invites customers to register interest to “experience Tesla Model Y in Bengaluru.” (koreaherald.com) Indian media reports published on May 14 said Tesla opened an experience center in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area and showcased the Model Y and six-seat Model Y L there. Moneycontrol reported the Model Y L was launched in India at a starting price of 6.199 million rupees. (tesla.com) ### How firm is the claim that Model Y was No. 2 overall in Korea? KAIDA is the primary source for imported-brand registrations, but it does not publish the full all-brand national ranking in the material surfaced here. The No. 2 overall claim for Model Y and the No. 3 overall claim for Tesla as a brand come from secondary market-ranking reports published this week, including Best Selling Cars Blog and Basenor. (moneycontrol.com) KAMA’s English monthly statistics page, as available in search results, showed March 2026 files and did not surface an April file in the material reviewed here. That means the imported-market figures are directly supported by KAIDA-based reporting, while the all-brand overall ranking relies on market trackers that compiled April results. (bestsellingcarsblog.com) Tesla’s next public data points in the two markets are likely to come from monthly registration releases in South Korea and further showroom or test-drive updates on Tesla’s India website, which already lists demo-drive access for Model Y and store locations across four Indian cities. (tesla.com) (kama.or.kr)