Industry data showed today, Sunday, that sales of eco-friendly vehicles in South Korea surpassed 100,000 units in the first quarter of the current year due to increasing demand for hybrid cars.

The data also revealed an 8.7% rise in total sales of eco-friendly vehicles from 5 local automobile manufacturers, including Hyundai Motor and Kia, reaching 101,727 units during the period from January to March 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, according to the South Korean news agency "Yonhap."

Among the eco-friendly vehicles sold, 85,828 were hybrid cars, an increase of 42.4% compared to 2023.

On the other hand, sales of electric vehicles dropped by 51.4% year-on-year, totaling 15,237 cars in the first quarter of the current year, compared to the first quarter of 2023.

The Kia Sorento hybrid model was the best-selling model during the first three months of the current year, with 19,729 units sold, followed by the Hyundai Motor Santa Fe hybrid model with 15,981 units, and the Kia Carnival hybrid model with 12,203 units.