Automobile sales in South Korea increased by the widest margin this year in October.
 
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Sunday that domestic auto sales rose 18-point-six percent from a year ago to around 164-thousand-500 units last month.
 
It is the highest increase this year and marked three months in a row that car sales grew at a two-digit pace.
 
The trade ministry attributed the rise to a cut in the individual consumption tax, the launch of new models and the continued popularity of multi-purpose vehicles.
 
Sales of Volkswagen vehicles, however, declined 67-point-four percent from the previous month to just 947 units as the German carmaker remains embroiled in an emissions-rigging scandal.