Korea's auto exports increased 16.8 percent from a year earlier in September, driven by robust demand for eco-friendly cars in Europe and Asia, data showed Monday.

The value of outbound shipments of automobiles came to $6.41 billion last month, the highest figure for any September, according to the data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

In terms of volume, exports gained 11 percent on-year to 228,000 vehicles.

The value of accumulated auto exports from January to September reached an all-time high of $54.1 billion.

The ministry said demand for Korean cars went up in major regions, except for North America, where Korean cars are currently subject to 25 percent tariffs by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Exports to the European Union surged 52.8 percent on-year to $958 million in September, while shipments to Asia spiked 62.3 percent to $823 million.

Shipments to North America, however, shrank 5.3 percent to $2.8 billion, with exports to the U.S. dipping 7.5 percent to $2.4 billion.

By type, exports of eco-friendly cars, such as electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid cars and hydrogen cars, soared 47.5 percent from a year earlier to 90,496 vehicles last month.

It marked the first time monthly exports of eco-friendly cars topped 90,000 units, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all auto exports.

In particular, shipments of hybrid cars jumped 55.7 percent to 57,824 vehicles, and exports of EVs advanced 38.9 percent to 29,288 units, rising for the fourth consecutive month.

At home, sales of automobiles went up 20.8 percent on-year to 158,000 units last month, hitting the highest mark since November 2023.

Domestic EV sales shot up 135 percent on-year to an all-time monthly high of 28,760 units.

The accumulated volume of EV sales here in the January-September period climbed 57.5 percent to 170,000 units, already surpassing the annual sales of 142,000 posted last year, according to the data.

It also showed domestic production of cars climbed 8.9 percent to 334,000 units in September as the number of working days increased from a year earlier.

This year, the Chuseok holiday fell in early October, whereas in 2024, it took place in September.

Auto exports rise 16.8% in Sept. on robust demand for eco-friendly cars: data - The Korea Times