Sales of imported cars in Korea dropped more than 6 percent in February from a year earlier, industry data showed Monday.

A total of 15,671 foreign-made vehicles were registered in South Korea last month, also down 3.5 percent from a month earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.

The association cited fewer business days in February as well as a supply shortage as the main causes of the decline.

Industry watchers, however, said demand for foreign automobiles had weakened, especially after the news that German brand Volkswagen had deceived buyers about its fuel efficiency.

Combined sales during the first two months of the year also plunged 13 percent on-year to reach 31,905 units.

Mercedes-Benz was the best-selling brand with 3,787 units last month, followed by BMW with 2,916, Volkswagen with 2,196 and Audi at 984 units, according to the data. European carmakers continued to dominate the import market with 12,313 units sold, followed by Japanese and U.S. automakers.

Despite the emissions scandal, the overall best-selling imported car was Volkswagen’s Tiguan 2.0 TDI BlueMotion, followed by the Benz E 220 BlueTEC.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)