SEOUL, July 15 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's automotive exports rebounded in three months due to strong demand for eco-friendly vehicles, government data showed Wednesday.
The outbound car shipment gained 5.8 percent from a year earlier to 6.71 billion U.S. dollars in June, after reducing for the past two months, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
The rebound was attributed to solid demand for eco-friendly vehicles, especially from the United States and Europe.
Auto exports to the United States and the European Union (EU) mounted in double digits to 3.61 billion dollars and 869 million dollars each, while shipments to Asia and the Middle East dipped in double figures to 537 million dollars and 460 million dollars, respectively.
Demand got stronger for eco-friendly vehicles, the export of which advanced 31.3 percent to 2.90 billion dollars in June on a yearly basis.
The eco-friendly vehicles include electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
The number of exported vehicles totaled 268,169 in June, up 9.8 percent compared to the same month last year. Auto parts shipments shrank 2.4 percent to 1.74 billion dollars.
The number of vehicles manufactured in local factories increased 11.6 percent to 394,210 last month.
The number of cars sold inside the country, including locally made and imported vehicles, was 159,725 in June, up 9.5 percent from a year earlier. ■
