BYD Sealion 7 (BYD Korea) Chinese automakers are making strong inroads into South Korea, ranking third place in the country’s imported vehicle market in April, overtaking Japan for the first time.According to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, new vehicle registrations by region came to 16,385 units from Europe, 13,611 from the US, 2,023 from China and 1,974 from Japan in April.This is the first time Chinese-made vehicles have outsold Japanese brands in South Korea’s imported car market, with China pulling a 6 percent market share against Japan’s 5.8 percent.The surge was driven solely by Chinese EV maker BYD, which sold 2,023 vehicles in April. That figure surpassed the combined total of Lexus, Toyota and Honda, which recorded 1,079, 829 and 66 units, respectively.BYD also ranked fourth among imported brands for the second consecutive month in March and April, buoyed by electric vehicle subsidies by the Korean government.Industry observers link the rise of Chinese vehicles to surging EV demand, including Chinese-made versions of Tesla’s Model Y.With high fuel prices boosting interest in EVs, Chinese brands are drawing attention for their affordability, software-defined vehicle capabilities and advanced autonomous driving technology, attracting young consumers.The trend also suggests that consumer resistance toward Chinese-made vehicles is gradually easing in one of the world's most competitive import car markets.Competition is expected to intensify further as Chinese EV brands enter South Korea. Zeekr, the premium EV marque under China’s second-largest EV maker, Geely Automobile, recently opened its first showroom in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Other carmakers Chery Automobile and Xpeng are also preparing to launch their models in South Korea soon.The aggressive expansion of Chinese cars comes as Japanese carmakers are retreating from the market, with Honda announcing in April that it will discontinue automobile sales in South Korea after more than two decades.With Honda’s exit, Toyota and Lexus are the only Japanese brands in the market. Industry watchers are closely monitoring whether Chinese brands can fill the gap and further expand their market share.