SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Yonhap) -- U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla was the bestselling imported passenger car brand in South Korea for the sixth consecutive month in July, industry data showed Wednesday.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), 30,976 imported passenger cars were newly registered last month, up 14.3 percent from a year earlier.

Tesla led the market with 10,237 units, maintaining the top spot since February.

BMW ranked second with 6,533, followed by Mercedes-Benz with 3,959 and China's BYD with 2,846.

The Tesla Model Y was the bestselling imported model last month, with 8,705 units sold.

Driven by strong demand for EVs from brands such as Tesla and BYD, EVs accounted for nearly half of all imported passenger car registrations, totaling 15,428 units in July.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

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