Why Japanese and Korean cars succeed in Spain

Asian vehicle purchases grow from 22 to 28% in five years

In the midst of a component crisis, it was rumored that brands such as Hyundai or Kia were less affected in their stocks. A small anecdote that strengthens
growing Asianization of Spanish drivers, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Nissan and Mazda already represent 28% of car purchases for a reason, up from 22% five years ago, according to Unoauto, Sumauto’s new vehicle portal, from ANFAC data on the brands that sell more than 10,000 pieces per year in our country.

On the other hand, if in 2018 68% of sales came from European brands, that has now dropped to 60%.

This eastern strength is mainly due to the good results of Toyota, Kia and Hyundai (they were the TOP3 sales of 2022). However, the Spaniards have lost confidence in Japanese brands such as
Nissan and Mazda which, despite selling more than 10,000 units per year, have experienced a decline over the past five years, respectively -71% and -41%.

A remarkable decrease that European brands such as
opelwith a drop of 67%, or Renault, of 53%, over the past five years.

In fact, the appearance of
Cupra is the exception because, with 13,476 units registered, it is the only new European manufacturer to have already overcome the psychological barrier of 10,000 registrations.

On the other hand, the breakthrough of the electric car has led to the arrival of new players in our market and has awakened consumer interest, especially for the made in China brands with European ties.

On this road,
there are manufacturers like MG attracting citizens’ attention, with sales expected to exceed 11,500 units for this year, even ahead of Volvo. For his part,
Lynk & co.with Swedish and Chinese roots, shows great potential and fights to gain a foothold in the Spanish retina, although with just over 6,000 units it is still a long way off.

Likewise western manufacturers such as
jeep or mini They want to gain ground and get closer to 10,000 units, a figure that both will hit this year.

According to Ignacio García Rojí, spokesperson for Unoauto, “Consumers are becoming “Asian” thanks to the good work of these oriental brands. Traditionally, Spanish customers have always trusted Japanese manufacturers, but now they also rely on Korean ones for their resilience
the semiconductor crisis, to a well-diversified and attractive range that meets all user needs and to be reliable cars. In addition, they often have a better quality, equipment and price ratio than their European counterparts. It remains to be seen how the adoption of all the Chinese brands that have arrived and are yet to come will be, although MG and Lynk & Co are proof that when a product is good, the market respects it regardless of car origin.” .

Source: La Verdad

Mary

I am Mary Fitzgerald, a professional journalist and author of the Today Times Live. My specialty is in writing and reporting on technology-related topics. I have spent the last seven years extensively researching and understanding the field of technology so I can properly inform my readers about developments in this ever-evolving world.