Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
Oil Prices Slip as U.S.–Iran Talks Ease Supply Disruption Fears 
China Services PMI Hits Three-Month High as New Orders and Hiring Improve 
China and Uruguay Strengthen Strategic Partnership Amid Shifting Global Order 
NRW Holdings Shares Surge After Securing Major Rio Tinto Contract and New Project Wins 
Qantas to Sell Jetstar Japan Stake as It Refocuses on Core Australian Operations 
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Acquires xAI in Historic Deal Uniting Space and Artificial Intelligence 
Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Stabilizes, Yen Weakens Ahead of Japan Election 
Stephen Miran Resigns as White House Economic Adviser Amid Federal Reserve Tenure 
Nvidia, ByteDance, and the U.S.-China AI Chip Standoff Over H200 Exports 
AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock 
Japan Services Sector Records Fastest Growth in Nearly a Year as Private Activity Accelerates 
Trump Extends AGOA Trade Program for Africa Through 2026, Supporting Jobs and U.S.-Africa Trade 
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies 
Australian Scandium Project Backed by Richard Friedland Poised to Support U.S. Critical Minerals Stockpile 
Japan’s Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Exports Hit Record High in 2025 Despite Tariffs 
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or BMW, is focusing on some markets for its business, and one of its targets is South Korea. The German luxury carmaker is also expanding its sales further in the country after Mercedes-Benz snatched its crown as the bestselling foreign vehicle brand in the region.
BMW wants to reclaim the top spot from Mercedes Benz and become the bestselling imported automaker in the Korean market once again. The brand had the title for almost a decade before the Stuttgart, Germany-headquartered rival took over.
In the latest update, Korea Joongang Daily reported that through its efforts to boost sales more, BMW is now catching up quickly and may reclaim the top position soon. To achieve this, the company has been rapidly expanding its sales in South Korea through aggressive investment and stepping up its after-sale service to repair its reputation grazed by the string of fire incidents in 2018.
The company was able to sell about 12,470 vehicle units in the region within just the first two months of this year. Based on the data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (Kaida), this number shows an 11.3% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
The total sales also illustrate a notable difference from Mercedes Benz, that only sold 8,419 units in the same period. The company failed to beat the latter last year by a slight margin as Mercedes secured a 27.7% share of the imported auto market in Korea. This was a 10% increase for the automaker compared to its 2019 record.
In any case, BMW is closing in and has started growing at a fast rate again the country. This is said to be due to the brand’s top-selling Series 5 sedans. Since November 2022, the BMW 520 sedan has been continuously selling well and recognized as the most beloved imported car, overtaking Mercedes-Benz’s best-seller unit - the E250.
Meanwhile, Pulse News reported that more than five out of 10 foreign cars sold in Korea were either BMW or Mercedes-Benz. They topped the market, leaving out other brands that were previously the best-sellers in the country, such as Audi.
Photo by: Philippe Oursel/Unsplash
