2018년 수입차 26만705대 판매, 승용차 시장 점유율 16.7%.

It seems South Korean's preference for imported cars is growing.
Industry watchers say the number of foreign-made vehicles sold in the country hit a record high last year.
Oh Soo-young help us look beyond the digits.
More imported cars were sold in Korea last year than ever before,... and they're taking up a growing share of the local auto market.
The Korea Automobile Importers and Dealers Association said Friday that the number of newly registered imported cars topped 260-thousand last year,... up by 11-point-eight percent from 2017.
Mercedes-Benz was the top choice among Koreans for the third consecutive year, with more than 70-thousand vehicles registered in 2018.
Its E300 4Matic was the best selling foreign car, with around 9-thousand sales.
BMW remained in second place, although the company's sales declined substantially after a spate of vehicles caught fire throughout the year.
Japanese brands including Toyota and Lexus also ranked among the top five,... thanks to a boost in sales of hybrid models.
Hybrid cars in general saw a surge in popularity -- jumping 33 percent on year -- although gasoline and diesel cars took up most of the sales.
By region, it's clear that Korean drivers still prefer European vehicles,... which accounted for more than 70 percent of imported cars registered last year.
Japanese and U.S.-made cars were the second and third most popular.
The number of foreign-made vehicles in Korea has been consistently growing,... taking up an estimated 16-point-seven percent of the domestic auto market,... up by one-point-five percentage points from 2017 -- the highest-ever annual growth rate.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.