Imported car sales in S. Korea reach record high in 2011

Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea hit a record high in 2011 on the back of the implementation of a free trade pact between Seoul and the European Union (EU), and growing demand for luxury brands, a trade association said Wednesday. A total of 105,037 import cars were sold here last year, up 16 percent from the previous year and topping the 100,000 mark for the first time, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA). In 2010, South Korean consumers bought 90,562 import cars.