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| BMW New 1 Series |
AsiaToday reporter Kim Jong-hoon = As more import car consumers are considering to buy practical cars rather than demonstrative ones, import cars between 30 million and 40 million won with under 2,000 cc are rapidly penetrating the domestic market. Unlike past, consumers are looking for highly fuel efficient cars and cost effective small and mid-sized cars.
According to Korea Automobile Importers And Distributors on the 25th, the number of import cars under 2,000 cc among 156,497 import cars newly registered last year, accounts for 53.5 percent (83,667 cars). It's the first time for cars below 2,000 cc are taking up more than half of import market.
In particular, public's common conception towards imported cars, which is that 'Imported cars are expensive', is slowly changing. It's because a variety of imported cars between 30 million and 40 million won, which worth a Korean automaker's mid-sized cars, are aggressively entering into the market.
German cars are among the most aggressive in introducing low-priced models. Audi's 'A3', BMW's '1 Series Hatchback', Volkswagen's 'Golf' and 'Tiguan' and Benz's 'A Class' are set between 30 million and 40 million won.
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| Audi A3 |
Audi Korea has unveiled its compact diesel sedan "New Audi A3" in the local market. This model is 146mm longer and 11mm wider than the A3 Hatchback. It's 11mm lower than the previous model to raise driving performance. It is equipped with a 2.0 TDI (turbocharged direct injection) engine. Coming with a dual clutch 6 speed s-tronic transmission, it takes only 8.4 seconds to reach 100 kilometers per hour, with fuel efficiency standing at 16.7 kilometers per liter. It ranges between 37.5 million and 40.9 million won.
A rep from Audi said, "A3 is already fully booked. Since the orders coming to Korea is not sufficient in supply, we have set domestic sales targets for 1,000 units."
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| Mercedes-Benz A200 |
Mercedes-Benz is also aiming at young consumers in their 20s and 30s with its model under 40 million won. The four-door coupe 'CLA-Class' maintains the beauty and power of coupe and has four doors to give more comfortable ride. 'CLA-Class' has two variants - the New CLA 200 CDI and the New CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC. The CLA 200 CDI uses a 1.8 liter motor tuned to give maximum output of 136 hp and maximum torque of 30.6 kg/m with fuel efficiency standing at 16.6 kilometers per liter. The A 200 CDI trim is priced at 34.9 million won while A 200 CDI style trim is at 38.6 million won.
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| Volkswagen Tiguan |
Volkswagen is one of the best-selling brands for models between 30 million and 40 million won in Korea. The company is leading compact car market by launching Polo and Golf last year. Among the models are 'Golf', 'Tiguan', 'Jetta', 'Beetle', and 'Passat'. The company sold 3,852 units of the 7th generation Volkswagen Polo in 6 months since its release in last July until the end of last year. The best benefit is its excellent fuel efficiency. Its 1.6 TDI BlueMotion has a fuel efficiency standing at 18.9 kilometers per liter. The 1.6 TDI model is priced at 30.4 million won, and 2.0 TDI model ranges between 33.4 million and 37.5 million won. One of the most popular import SUVs is 'Tiguan' and its trim model is priced at 38.3 million won.
BMW Korea is one of the most popular brands in Korea. BMW's '1 Series Hatchback' is priced at 33.6 million won. This model is equipped with a diesel engine of 2,000 cc tuned to give maximum output of 143 hp, maximum torque of 32.7kg/m and maximum speed of 212 km. Its powerful specs are attractive enough for young people, and yet, the model has a great fuel efficiency of 18.7 kilometers per liter.
Among Japanese brands under 40 million won are mostly hybrid cars. Honda Civic Hybrid is priced at 36.9 million won and Toyota's Prius Hybrid is at 31.3 million won. In addition, Honda's 'CR-V' and 'Accord', Toyota Korea's 'RAV4' and 'Camry', Nissan's 'Altima' and 'JUKE' are also available under 40 million won.
An official from import car industry said, "As imported car market is growing and more young people are buying imported cars, foreign carmakers are strengthening their lineups by introducing small and mid-sized models. This phenomenon is likely to be seen for a while, and fierce competition is expected in the small and mid-sized car market."
