South Korea’s auto export sees double-digit growth in August

South Korea‘s automotive export saw a double-digit increase in August because of solid demand for eco-friendly vehicles, according to government data.

The country’s car shipment increased 35.9 percent over the year to 4.12 billion U.S. dollars in August, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy noted.

The number of exported vehicles amounted to 168,155 in August, increasing 29.1 percent from a year ago.

Export for eco-friendly vehicles increased 45.7 percent to 1.22 billion dollars last month, keeping an upward trend for the 20th consecutive month.

The proportion of eco-friendly vehicle deliveries to the total car export was 29.6 percent in August.

Demand for locally-made vehicles from North America increased 66.8 percent to 2.03 billion dollars last month, logging the highest August figure in the industry.

Automotive sales in the local market added 1.0 percent from a year ago to 131,638 units in August, marking the first recovery in 19 months on the back of higher demand for foreign luxury models.

The number of cars manufactured in domestic factories was 284,361 in August, an increase of 21.0 percent from a year ago.