Tesla Model Y outsells Kia Sorento by 50% in August, widening gap to record high

The Tesla Model Y outsold the Kia Sorento by more than 3,000 units last month to claim the top spot among all passenger cars sold in South Korea. It was the third time this year the Model Y topped the monthly sales chart ahead of a domestic model, and the gap between first and second place was the widest yet. Tesla's total brand sales also exceeded the combined figures for BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

According to data released Thursday by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), the Tesla Model Y recorded 9,638 new registrations in South Korea in August. The Kia Sorento, the top-selling domestic model for the same period, sold 6,397 units.

The Model Y outsold the Sorento by 3,241 units, or 50.7 percent. With total imported passenger car registrations reaching 29,817 units in August, roughly one in every three imported cars sold was a Model Y.

This was the third time this year the Model Y topped the monthly passenger car sales chart across both domestic and imported vehicles. In May, it sold 8,762 units, edging out the Sorento's 7,836 by 926 units. In July, it posted 8,705 units, narrowly beating the Hyundai Motor Grandeur's 8,532 by 173 units.

In August, the gap between the Model Y's 9,638 units and the Sorento's 6,397 widened to 3,241 — the largest margin across the Model Y's three monthly victories this year.

Breaking down the figures, the Model Y Premium led all imported vehicle trims with 7,490 units sold. The Model Y L ranked second with 1,746 units, while the Model Y Premium Long Range added 402 registrations. Multiple trims of the single Model Y nameplate accounted for the bulk of Tesla's total sales.

The race for the annual sales crown has also grown tighter. The Model Y's cumulative registrations from January through August reached 61,702 units, while the Sorento sold 67,976 units over the same period, narrowing the gap to 6,274 units. With four months remaining, an imported electric vehicle is increasingly positioned to challenge a domestic model for the year's best-selling car title.

Tesla's presence looms even larger at the brand level. The company recorded 10,400 new registrations last month, up 30.4 percent from the same month last year, capturing a 34.9 percent share of the total import market. It has topped the import brand sales chart for seven consecutive months since February.

Particularly notable last month was that BMW and Mercedes-Benz combined still fell short of Tesla.

BMW sold 6,180 units and Mercedes-Benz 4,037, ranking second and third respectively among import brands. Their combined total of 10,217 units trailed Tesla by 183.

In July, the two German brands together sold 10,492 units, outpacing Tesla's 10,237 by 255. In August, Tesla reclaimed the lead over their combined tally. It was the third time this year — following April and May — that Tesla's monthly sales exceeded the sum of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Behind Tesla, Chinese brand BYD also posted striking growth. BYD registered 3,002 units last month, ranking fourth among import brands — a 713.6 percent surge from 369 units in August last year. Its market share jumped from 1.4 percent to 10.1 percent.

Together, Tesla and BYD sold 13,402 units in August, accounting for roughly 45 percent of all imported vehicles — more than the combined 12,081 units registered by all German brands, which held a 40.5 percent share. German brands commanded a 48.4 percent share as recently as August last year, a figure that has since fallen 7.9 percentage points in just 12 months.

Electrification in the import market continued to advance. Electric vehicle registrations in August reached 15,183 units, up 39.9 percent year on year, giving EVs a 50.9 percent share. Hybrids followed at 40.0 percent, while gasoline vehicles were limited to 8.5 percent and diesel to 0.6 percent. Combined, EVs and hybrids accounted for more than nine out of every 10 imported vehicles sold last month.

Total new imported passenger car registrations reached 29,817 units, up 9.2 percent from the same month last year. Cumulative registrations from January through August stood at 244,825 units, a 27.2 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.