In January, Korea's auto industry grew year over year in all three institutional sectors of exports, domestic sales, and production. With eco-friendly cars leading overall results, export value ranked second-highest on record for January, continuing its strong run.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources' report released on the 19th, "Auto industry trends for January 2026," Korea's auto export value last month rose 21.7% from a year earlier to $6.07 billion. That is the second-highest figure on record for January, after January 2024 ($6.21 billion).
In particular, export value of eco-friendly cars reached $2.56 billion, the highest ever for January. Hybrids recorded $1.71 billion (+85.5%) and electric vehicles $780 million (+21.2%), accounting for 42% of total exports.
Total export volume rose 23.4% to 246,574 units, with exports to major advanced markets increasing across the board, including North America (+25.7%), the EU (+34.4%), and other Europe (+44.8%). In contrast, Asia (-30.1%) and the Middle East (-0.4%) declined.
Domestic sales increased 14.0% to 120,787 units. Domestic brands totaled 98,058 units (+9.6%), and imports 22,729 units (+37.9%). By domestic model, Sorento (8,388 units), Sportage (6,015 units), and Carnival (5,278 units) led, while among imports, BMW (6,270 units), Mercedes-Benz (5,121 units), and China's BYD (1,347 units) ranked high.
Domestic sales of eco-friendly cars climbed 48.3% to 57,584 units, taking a 47.7% share of the domestic market, with electric vehicles surging 507.2% to 10,098 units sold.
Production rose 24.1% to 360,500 units. Trax (30,000 units), Avante (24,000 units), and Kona (23,000 units) were produced in the largest numbers, and all five complete vehicle makers—Hyundai, Kia, GM Korea, KG Mobility, and Renault Korea—increased output. Renault Korea, which temporarily halted plant operations in January last year, jumped 2,015% from 267 units to 5,646.
An official at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) explained the strong results by noting, "Because the Lunar New Year holidays fell largely in January last year, the number of working days was three fewer than this year, creating a base effect, and expanding global demand for eco-friendly cars appears to have had an impact."