In April this year, South Korea's total car output amounted to 396,184 units, up slightly by 0.2 percent year on year, marking a historic record for April volumes, according to a report released by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA). The report says that the increase was due to the high rate of exports. On the other hand, the country's auto production during the first four months of the current year climbed 6.4 percent year on year to 1,571,060 units.
High fuel prices and economic uncertainties drove sales of domestic cars in April down 6.8 percent year on year to 118,377 vehicles. Meanwhile, sales of imported cars jumped 30 percent on year-on-year basis thanks to the strong performance of German brands and the introduction of a Japanese model. In the first four months of this year, sales of domestic cars in South Korea fell by 8.2 percent year on year to 449,733 units.
The association also announced that in April this year South Korean car exports continued to rise, increasing by 3.9 percent year on year to 276,639 vehicles, but growth slowed due to the lower number of working days in April this year. South Korean car exports in the first four months of the year rose by 16 percent compared to the same period of 2011, totaling 1,130,030.