- Registration date2026-01-15
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Korea’s automobile exports in 2025 totaled USD 72.0 billion, exceeding the previous record of $70.9 billion set in 2023. This marked a new all-time high and the third consecutive year in which automobile exports surpassed $70 billion.
Exports of eco-friendly vehicles amounted to $25.8 billion, up 11 percent year-on-year. Hybrid-vehicle exports reached a record high of $14.8 billion (up 30 percent year-on-year), contributing significantly to overall growth. Used-car exports also hit a new high of $8.9 billion (up 75.1 percent year-on-year), reflecting an improved reputation of Korean vehicles and favorable exchange-rate conditions.
Domestic automobile production in 2025 totaled 4.1 million units (down 0.6 percent year-on-year), remaining above 4.0 million units for the third consecutive year. By model, production was led by the Trax (308,000 units), followed by the Kona (270,000), Avante (269,000), Sportage (226,000), Tucson (201,000), and Carnival (186,000). Of total production, 67 percent, or 2.7 million units, were exported (down 1.7 percent year-on-year).
Domestic automobile sales in 2025 reached 1.7 million units, up 3.3 percent from 2024. Sales of domestically produced vehicles totaled 1.4 million units (up 0.8 percent), accounting for 81 percent of the total, while imported vehicle sales came to 320,000 units (up 15.3 percent), representing 19 percent of the total. Eco-friendly vehicle sales rose to 813,000 units (up 25 percent from 2024), accounting for 48 percent of new vehicle sales. Among them, electric-vehicle sales increased to 216,000 units (up 52 percent from 2024).
In December 2025, automobile exports totaled $6.0 billion, down 1.5 percent from a year earlier, reflecting base effects from strong performance in December 2024. Automobile production in December came to 362,000 units (down 2.9 percent), driven primarily by the Trax, Kona, and Avante. Domestic sales totaled 145,000 units (up 1.4 percent), including 115,000 units of domestically produced vehicles and 30,000 units of imported vehicles.
Although U.S. tariff measures cast a shadow over the automobile industry in 2025, uncertainty was eased through a combination of policy measures—including efforts to strengthen competitiveness in eco-friendly vehicles and secondary batteries, as well as emergency responses to U.S. auto tariffs—together with the successful conclusion of tariff negotiations with the U.S., enabling automobile exports to reach a record high of $72 billion.
Looking ahead to 2026, the automobile industry is expected to face challenges such as increased localization of production due to rising global protectionism and intensifying competition. The ministry stated that it will continue to support the industry by steadily implementing initiatives centered on the AI Future Vehicle M.AX Alliance and the K-Mobility Leadership Strategy, with the aim of strengthening future industrial competitiveness and reinforcing export momentum.