Tesla logs 7th straight month atop Korea's import market as Model Y outsells Sorento
Tesla sold 10,400 vehicles in South Korea in August, taking a 34.9% share of the imported-car market for a 7th consecutive month — while the Model Y Premium outsold Kia's Sorento to become the country's best-selling passenger car overall, a bullish signal for core demand just as Thursday's Cybercab event nears.
South Korea's August import-car tallies put Tesla's monthly sales at 10,400 units — more than the combined 10,217 units sold by BMW and Mercedes-Benz that month, according to industry figures.
It marks Tesla's 7th straight month as Korea's top-selling imported brand, a streak that began in February. Tesla accounted for 34.9% of all imported-car sales in August, meaning more than one in three imports sold was a Tesla.
The Model Y Premium trim alone sold 7,490 units, enough to top Korea's overall passenger-car sales chart — ahead of Kia's Sorento (6,397 units) by 3,241 vehicles. Total new Model Y registrations reached 9,638 for the month.
The figures land two days before Tesla's September 3 Cybercab unveiling in Austin, underscoring that core vehicle demand — led by the Model Y — remains resilient even as investor attention shifts to the robotaxi rollout.
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