vehicle registrations-H1 tally

▲ This file photo provided by Hyundai Motor Co. shows the all-electric Ioniq 5. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

vehicle registrations-H1 tally

Vehicle registrations rise 12 pct in S. Korea in H1

SEOUL, July 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's newly registered vehicles rose 12 percent in the January-June period from a year earlier, helped by increased sales of environmentally friendly models, the transport ministry said Thursday.

The number of registered cars increased to 918,385 units in the first half from 822,043 units in the same period of last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement.

"Registrations of diesel and liquefied petroleum gas-powered vehicles are on the decline, while registrations of electric, hybrid and other fuel-efficient models are growing," the statement said.

On an accumulated basis, the country's car registrations stood at 25.76 million units as of end-June, up 1 percent from 25.5 million units at end-December, the ministry said.

Eco-friendly vehicle registrations jumped 16 percent to 1.84 million autos in the first six months from 1.59 million units a year ago, with registered electric models climbing 19 percent on-year to 464,928, it said.

Demand for diesel cars is expected to fall further due to stricter emission regulations as carmakers accelerate their electrification drive to help combat climate change.

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