SEOUL, Six automakers in South Korea exported 2.76 million vehicles to 196 countries last year, posting the highest tally in eight years, data showed Sunday.

The export volume of Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp. and four other carmakers was up 20.1 percent in 2023 from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA).

It marks the first time since 2015 that carmakers have achieved annual exports of more than 2.7 million units.

By country, the carmakers sold the largest amount of 1.3 million units to the United States, followed by Canada at 218,721 units, Australia at 169,205 units and Germany at 92,692 units.

The companies sold 2,571 units and 1,506 units to China and Japan, respectively.

In particular, outbound shipments to Russia plunged 94.3 percent on-year to 808 units last year, according to the data.

Source: Yonhap News Agency