South Korea's domestic sales of more environmentally-friendly cars in November reached an all-time high, having increased for 10 consecutive months. Electric and hybrid vehicles sold in South Korea doubled from the previous year to 28,218 units in November, according to data from South Korea's trade, industry and energy ministry (Motie). The growth was led by sales of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which rose by 169.2pc and 114.1pc to 22,608 units and 1,732 units respectively. The share of electric and hybrid vehicles in the country's domestic sales was also at a historical high of 16.5pc in November.
The country's electric and hybrid vehicle exports were up by 9.7pc from the previous year to 25,760 units in November. This was driven by strong sales of Hyundai's Kona and Kia's Niro models, which rose by 20.1pc to 3,992 units and by 113.8pc to 5,847 units respectively. The South Korean government aims to become more self-sufficient and competitive in the green car market and less reliant on China, where most of the components are made. Motie plans to invest 73.4 trillion South Korean won ($67bn) in energy initiatives as part of its programme. South Korea's electric and hybrid vehicle category covers pure electric vehicles, HEVs, PHEVs and fuel cell electric vehicles.
South Korea's total auto output in November from domestic producers fell by 6.3pc on the previous year to 324,472 units in November, resulting from industrial issues at GM Korea and Kia and production adjustments at Renault Samsung. November auto exports dropped by 10.2pc from a year previously to 190,657 following renewed Covid-19 infections in the main consumption regions. Domestic November auto sales in South Korea rose by 5.8pc from a year earlier to 171,228 units, with the number of domestically-produced cars up by 5.8pc to 142,158 units. Sales of imported vehicles rose by 5.6pc to 29,070 units with a recovery in sales of German brands.