Lexus sales in Korea plummet 40% as automaker admits to cheating on safety tests

Lexus sales in Korea plunged nearly 40 percent in June on year, while parent company Toyota navigates the fallout from admitting to manipulated safety tests.

Takashi Watanabe, president of Lexus International, poses with the RZ450e at a press event held in southern Seoul last June. [TOYOTA MOTOR KOREA]

Lexus sales in Korea plunged almost 40 percent in June after the Japanese automaker apologized for manipulating safety certification tests.

A total of 1,047 cars were sold in the country last month, down 36.7 percent on year, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association.

Lexus' gap with Volvo widened as the Swedish carmaker's sales rose 6 percent on year to 1,452 in June. Lexus and Volvo have been battling for the No. 4 position of imported auto brands in Korea after BMW, Mercedes and Tesla.

Earlier in the year, Toyota Motor, the world's largest carmaker in terms of sales and parent company of the luxury brand, admitted that certification tests and engine inspections were manipulated to appear as though standards were met although they actually were not.

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda officially apologized in early June, acknowledging the wrongdoing.

Seven Toyota and Lexus models were among the impacted cars, two of which — the Lexus RX and the Toyota Crown — are currently on sale in Korea.

Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport concluded that no impacted cars were imported, but has discovered that problematically certificated components were installed in some of the Lexus vehicles.

The government is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the components, and also plans to launch an inspection of the Lexus RX350h, RX450h+ and RX500h, particularly their engine output, in a preemptive consumer safety measure.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]