German carmaker BMW debuted its new 7 Series in Korea on Wednesday, setting a goal of winning back the top post from Mercedes-Benz in the luxury large sedan market here.

Korea is the fourth-largest market in the world for BMW 7 Series. BMW’s flagship sedan, however, has fallen behind the Benz’s S-Class since 2013 mainly as the model was being phased out.

“We expect to gain growth momentum again (in the segment with the new 7 Series),” Ian Robertson, a board member and the head of sales and marketing at BMW AG said during the launching event, held at the BMW Driving Center on Yeongjongdo Island, off Incheon.

He expressed his satisfaction with the initial response from Korean customers. According to BMW Group Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon, preorders for the new 7 Series sedans have reached around 1,000 units.

The company’s sales and marketing chief introduced the firm’s new luxury sedan as a car that carries the latest technologies and innovations of BMW.

He touted a number of world-first features inside and outside of the 6th generation of BMW 7 series, including the lightest weight in the segment using carbon core and the remote control-self parking system.

The price tag of the luxury sedan varies between 130 million won ($113,000) to 190 million won, depending on different engines and options.

Separately from the new car launch, Robertson assured that the ongoing “dieselgate,” triggered by Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal in September, does not apply to diesel-powered BMW cars.

“BMW cars are registered country by country and so our diesel engines are tested in line with a particular country’s requirements. … There are some car manufacturers having a problem, not BMW,” he said.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)