Sport utility vehicles and multipurpose vehicles accounted for 37.5 percent of all South Korean car exports in the first quarter of this year, making them the second-largest vehicle types shipped abroad, a local automotive industry association said Thursday.

According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, carmakers such as Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and GM Korea exported 282,848s SUVs and MPVs in the January-March period.

The number only trails the 303,942 compacts and subcompacts exported by local original equipment manufacturers that accounted for 40.3 percent of the 753,296 vehicles shipped overall.

The total number of cars exported represents a 1.4 percent gain from the year before, with the increases coming from solid demand for cars made by Hyundai, Kia and Ssangyong Motor, which makes the Korando family of SUVs.

City cars or superminis made up 9.2 percent of exports and midsize cars accounted for 6.7 percent. Minivans and full-sized cars made up the rest. (Yonhap)