Auto exports in September reached five-point-five billion U.S. dollars, the largest amount on record for the month.

According to the trade ministry on Thursday, five-point-48 billion dollars worth of automobiles were exported last month, up four-point-nine percent from a year earlier.

The cumulative total for the January-September period also set a fresh record of 52-point-92 billion dollars.

The ministry attributed the rise in auto exports to an increase in shipments of eco-friendly vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles(HEVs), with exports of eco-friendly cars jumping 12-point-three percent on-year to one-point-96 billion dollars. Shipments of HEVs rose 75-point-six percent on-year.

Meanwhile, 307-thousand-26 vehicles were manufactured last month, up one-point-seven percent from a year ago. Domestic sales dropped two-point-three percent on-year to 130-thousand-685 vehicles.