Seoul: The number of diesel cars imported into South Korea has plunged by more than 60 percent this year, with their market share reaching its lowest level in two decades, data revealed Sunday. In the January-October period, diesel vehicle imports totaled 6,740 units, marking a 65.1 percent decrease from the same timeframe last year, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).

According to Yonhap News Agency, the figure for October alone saw a significant year-on-year drop of 58.7 percent to 643 units. The number of diesel imports during the first ten months accounted for just 3.1 percent of all imported vehicles, indicating the smallest market share since 2004. Diesel imports once dominated the local market, peaking at a 69 percent share in 2015, following steady growth since crossing the 20 percent and 30 percent thresholds in 2009 and 2011, respectively, as per KAIDA.

The sharp decline in diesel imports is partly attributed to the “Dieselgate” scandal, wher
ein German carmaker Volkswagen AG was discovered in 2015 to have manipulated emissions tests using “defeat devices.” A local market observer noted that the trend of declining diesel vehicle sales in South Korea is accelerating due to the rapid electrification of vehicles in the region.

Earlier statistics indicated that the registration of new gasoline and diesel vehicles in South Korea decreased by 19.6 percent and 56.7 percent on-year, respectively, in the first nine months of the year. In contrast, registrations of electric vehicles declined by only 7.9 percent, while new hybrid vehicle registrations surged by 27.6 percent on-year during the same period.