Seoul, Aug. 7 (BNA): Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp.’s combined exports of environmentally friendly vehicles exceeded 200,000 for the first time in the first half of this year.
From January to June, the two South Korean auto giants sold 224,672 plug-and-electric hybrid vehicles overseas, up 30.6% from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA).
This is the first time that exports of environmentally friendly cars exceed 200,000 in the mentioned period. It also came after automakers saw their exports of green cars topped 100,000 for the first time in the first quarter of this year, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Market watchers expect that their sales of green cars this year could hover around 400,000 if the current trend continues.
The data showed that Hyundai Motor exported 116,770 green cars during the first half, up 22.1% from the previous year, while Kia’s overseas sales of green cars jumped 42.3% during the same period to 107,902 units.
Hyundai Motor and Kia have intensified their efforts to produce environmentally friendly vehicles in line with the global trend towards environmentally friendly and zero-emission vehicles.
Last year, they exported a total of 373,007 green cars, crossing the 300,000 mark for the first time annually, and up 38.2% from the previous year.
ZHB