The ratio of gasoline-powered vehicles to the total cars registered with South Korean authorities fell below the 50-percent mark for the first time last year, industry data showed Tuesday.
The number of gasoline-propelled automobiles reached 661,784 units, or 48.5 percent of the total 1,365,862 vehicles registered in 2014, the data said.
In 2011, gasoline-powered vehicles accounted for 66.5 percent of the total registered cars, a figure that more than tripled 20.7 percent for diesel-propelled vehicles, but the figure declined to 57.5 percent in 2012 and 52.7 percent in 2013.
In contrast, diesel-powered vehicles have gained popularity among South Korean consumers for their good gas mileage in recent years. They constituted 38.6 percent of the total automobiles registered in 2014, a sharp rise from 20.7 percent in 2011.
Sales of diesel-propelled vehicles surged 30.9 percent in 2014 from the previous year. The fast rise was led by robust sales of diesel-powered recreational vehicles (RVs) and foreign-brand cars, industry sources said.
The ratio of LPG-powered vehicles to the total registered cars stood at 10.3 percent last year, down 2.3 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the data. LPG stands for liquefied petroleum gas.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
