Seoul: The Republic of Korea's car exports witnessed a significant increase of 4.9 percent in September, setting a new record for the month as demand for SUVs and electric models surged, official data revealed. According to Emirates News Agency, the combined value of car shipments in September reached US$5.5 billion, the highest for any September on record. This growth was predominantly fueled by a robust demand for environmentally friendly vehicles, with exports of these models jumping 12.3 percent to reach $1.96 billion. Notably, hybrid car exports saw a dramatic increase, soaring 75.6 percent to reach $1 billion. The data, compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, also highlighted that the number of cars produced in September totaled 307,026, marking a 1.7 percent increase from the same period last year. This rise in production comes despite the challenge of one fewer working day compared to the previous year, indicating a strong effort by local manufacturers to ramp up production to meet t he growing international demand. The overall export performance was further bolstered by an increase in the total number of cars shipped, which reached 205,574 units, up 4.4 percent over the period.