ULSAN — Vehicle exports through Ulsan Port slowed in the third quarter after a temporary production disruption in August, but recovered to year-earlier levels in September. Hybrid vehicles surged over the first nine months of the year, establishing themselves as a core export category.
Cumulative vehicle exports from January through September totaled 707,262 units worth $16.67 billion, according to the third-quarter Ulsan Port vehicle export report released by Ulsan Customs on the 19th. Unit volume fell 0.4% and export value declined 4.5% from the same period a year earlier.
Results diverged by powertrain. Internal combustion vehicles totaled 413,017 units for the nine months, down 11.3% year-on-year, while electric vehicles slipped 3.5% to 31,966 units. Hybrid exports, by contrast, jumped 24.1% to 262,237 units.
As a result, internal combustion vehicles accounted for 58.4% of total export volume, down from 65.6% a year earlier. The hybrid share rose 7.3 percentage points to 37.1% from 29.8%. Combined, hybrids and electric vehicles lifted the eco-friendly share to 41.6% from 34.4%.
Key markets also differed sharply by powertrain. For the nine months, internal combustion exports went to the U.S. with 267,396 units (64.7%), Canada with 71,779 units (17.4%) and Australia with 14,935 units (3.6%), putting the North American share at 82.1%. Hybrid shipments were spread more evenly, with 115,245 units to the U.S. (43.9%), 37,120 to Canada (14.2%) and 34,574 to Australia (13.2%), along with Britain, Israel and Spain. Electric vehicle exports also reached across Europe, North America and Oceania, with 7,572 units to Canada (23.7%), 5,354 to Germany (16.7%), 3,569 to Britain (11.2%) and 3,039 to Australia (9.5%).
Third-quarter exports from July through September came to 201,071 units worth $4.86 billion, down 14.4% in volume and 16.3% in value from a year earlier. Quarterly volume had risen 7.1% to 261,769 units in the second quarter from 244,422 in the first, before falling 23.2% in the third quarter. All categories declined in the quarter: internal combustion vehicles at 114,775 units, down 20.4%, hybrids at 75,968 units, down 4.2%, and electric vehicles at 10,297 units, down 10.6%.
The third-quarter slowdown largely reflected August production losses. Summer shutdowns at major automakers shifted from late July last year to early August this year, and a strike during wage negotiations cut working days. August export value fell 49.8% from a year earlier to about $990 million.
Operations normalized after the wage settlement in late August, and September export value reached $2.13 billion. That was more than double the August figure and up 0.2% from a year earlier. Exports to Canada rose 43.1% year-on-year in September, helping lead the recovery in major markets.
"We will continue to closely analyze changes in export markets by vehicle type and provide customs administrative support to facilitate exports for the region's automotive industry," an Ulsan Customs official said.