SEOUL, May 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's automotive export rebounded in three months due to strong global demand for eco-friendly vehicles, government data showed Wednesday.
Car shipment gained 10.3 percent from a year earlier to 6.79 billion U.S. dollars in April, after retreating for the past two months, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
It marked the biggest monthly shipment, topping the previous record high of 6.53 billion dollars tallied in November last year.
The number of exported vehicles was 271,147 in April, up 8.8 percent from a year earlier.
Export for eco-friendly cars advanced 11.6 percent to reach a record monthly high of 2.29 billion dollars last month, marking the first turnaround in three months.
Car export to North America surged 36.6 percent to 4.08 billion dollars, but those to the European Union, Asia, Latin America and Africa all diminished in double figures.
Auto parts shipment added 2.9 percent to 1.96 billion dollars in April compared to the same month of last year.
The number of vehicles, manufactured in local factories, expanded 3.5 percent to 394,457 last month.
The number of cars sold in South Korea, including locally-made and imported vehicles, came to 141,110 in April, down 5.5 percent from a year earlier. ■
