South Korean autos became the number one sellers in Chile last year, retaking the lead from Japan, a local report said recently in Santiago.

The report by the National Automobile Association of Chile showed South Korean automakers selling 66,729 cars in 2007 or 29.3 percent of the local market.

Japanese companies sold 57,322 units for 25.2 percent of the total sold in the year.

The association said last year’s numbers marked the first time since 2001 that South Korean cars best Japanese rivals in the Chilean market.

The association said from 2004 to 2006, auto imports from South Korea rose 51.8 percent on average every year.

The FTA made South Korean cars to be significantly cheaper on the Chilean market, because importers do not have to pay import duties in Chile.

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