Sales of foreign-made vehicles in South Korea spiked more than 13 percent in March from a year earlier, boosted by steady-selling models, a trade association said Thursday.

A total of 12,063 foreign brand cars were sold here last month, up 13.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.

In the first three months of 2013, a total of 34,964 foreign vehicles were sold in the country, also up 19.4 percent from a year earlier, the association said.

BMW topped the list with 2,924 units sold last month, leading Germany’s dominance of the South Korean imported auto market.

Mercedes-Benz followed with 2,122 units, trailed by Volkswagen with 1,650 and Audi with 1,282.

BMW was also awarded the best-selling model honor, as its 520d sedan ranked first with 977 units sold.

The Benz E220 CDI was next with 645 units sold, and the Benz E300 came in third with 429 units sold.

Sales of imported cars in South Korea jumped 24.6 percent on-year to a record high of 130,858 units last year as foreign brand vehicles have successfully made their presence felt in the country. (Yonhap News)