Sales of imported cars in S. Korea fall 1.1 pct in 2009

SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- Sales of imported cars in South Korea fell 1.1 percent
last year from a year ago, amid weakened consumption caused by a prolonged
economic slump, industry data showed Wednesday.

Import sales totaled 60,993 units in 2009, compared with 61,648 units sold in
2008, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said in a
statement.
Germany's BMW took the top spot in the nation's imported auto market with 9,652
units sold last year, according to the data.
Mercedes Benz came in second at 8,195 units and Audi was third at 6,664 units,
the data showed.
Last month, the association forecast that import sales would rise about 20
percent this year from last year to some 74,000 units as the nation's economy is
again picking up steam.
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