Seoul: South Korea's exports of automobiles reached an all-time high of $72 billion last year thanks to the strong overseas demand for eco-friendly vehicles and used cars.

According to Qatar News Agency, the figure marked a 1.7 percent increase from $70.8 billion in exports in 2024, and a 1.55 percent rise from the previous high of $70.9 billion tallied in 2023. It also marked the third consecutive year of the country's annual car exports surpassing the $70 billion threshold.

Last year, exports of eco-friendly vehicles, including electric, hydrogen, and hybrid cars, grew 11 percent on-year to $25.8 billion. In particular, outbound shipments of hybrid cars surged 30 percent to a record $14.8 billion. Exports of used cars spiked 75.1 percent to an all-time high of $8.87 billion, thanks to the brand recognition of Korean cars and the weakness of the local currency, the ministry said.

Domestic production of automobiles came to 4.1 million units in 2025, topping 4 million units for the third consecutive year. Domestic car sales increased 3.3 percent on-year to 1.68 million units, comprising 1.36 million Korean brand cars and 320,000 imported cars. Sales of eco-friendly cars advanced 25 percent to 813,000 units, accounting for nearly half of the total domestic sales.