SEOUL -- German high-end vehicles have become such must-have status symbols in South Korea that imports are outpacing those to Japan.

The number of Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold last year in South Korea soared 22% to a record 68,861 units, data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association shows. That exceeds Japan's 68,215 units, as reported by the Japan Automobile Importers Association, marking the first time in history such a reversal has occurred.

Similarly, South Korea imported 59,624 BMW vehicles in 2017, compared with 52,527 for Japan. South Korean BMW imports also came out ahead in 2015.

The lopsided appetite also extends to British high-end autos. South Korea imported 10,740 Land Rovers last year, nearly triple Japan's number. South Korea took in 4,125 Jaguar vehicles, trouncing Japan's 2,614 units. Jaguar Land Rover is owned by India's Tata Motors.

Making the figures more remarkable is that South Korea's population of just over 50 million is less than half of Japan's. South Korea's gross domestic product per capita is also 30% less. The auto import industries on both sides believe the counterintuitive outcomes can be attributed to the two nations' unique consumer profiles.

South Koreans lean strongly toward brand names and tend to prefer vehicles with bigger price tags. This is true for both imports and domestic autos.

The Grandeur sedan, typically equipped with engines in the 2.2-liter and 3.3-liter range, is the best-selling model for South Korea's Hyundai Motor. In contrast, Honda Motor's N-Box minicar was the top-volume seller in Japan last year.

Also guiding South Korean buying habits is the virtual lack of competition among domestic vehicles, unlike the Japanese market. The Hyundai conglomerate commands 77% of all domestic vehicle sales through Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors.

South Koreans hunting for variety are pushed to look offshore, and Japanese vehicles have been particularly popular imports. Toyota Motor's Lexus line was the third-most imported brand last year while the Toyota brand took fourth place. Honda's brand came in at No. 7.

Overall, Japan's imported passenger vehicle market stood at 305,043 units in 2017, easily eclipsing South Korea's 233,088. When it comes to annual new-auto sales, South Korea's 1.8 million units lag far behind Japan's 5.2 million.

However, the gap in imported vehicles is set to shrink with Volkswagen and umbrella company Audi resuming sales in South Korea this year. Under pressure from Seoul in the wake of its emissions cheating scandal, the German group had voluntarily suspended sales.

In 2015, before the freeze was implemented, both automakers sold over 30,000 units each, putting them behind only BMW and Mercedes-Benz in popularity. Although the scandall bruised the Volkswagen name, demand is still high for the Golf and other models. The carmaker will likely make a strong run toward its former numbers.

"Foreign automakers are focusing on the South Korean market, which has more room for growth than Japan's," said Yoon Dae-sung, vice chairman of the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association. BMW picked South Korea as the location for its first closed-course Driving Center in Asia, for instance.

"The size of South Korea's imported vehicle market will overtake Japan in one or two years," predicts Yoon.