(LEAD) S. Korean auto exports to Middle East, Africa surging

(ATTN: CORRECTS typo in para 6; ADDS this year's outlook in last para)
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's car exports to the Middle East and
Africa are rising sharply as demand in those oil-producing regions gathers
momentum, a trade association said Sunday.

According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA), industry
leader Hyundai Motor Co. and other South Korean automakers exported 46,034 units
to the Middle East last month, up 83.8 percent from a year earlier.
Shipments to African countries also soared 38.8 percent on-year to 17,528
vehicles in September, the association said.
In the July-September period, auto exports to the Middle East jumped 38 percent
on-year to 106,132 units, with shipments to Africa rising 25.2 percent to 44,253.
"Demand in the Middle Eastern and African markets is rising thanks to increased
fiscal spending by governments there following a recent surge in crude prices," a
KAMA official said.
The recent uptrend in auto exports to the regions represents a sharp turnaround
from slumping shipments three months earlier.
Hit by the global economic slowdown, South Korean car exports to the Middle East
fell 12.9 percent from a year earlier to 87,747 units in the second quarter, with
shipments to Africa sinking 25.2 percent to 37,088 vehicles, the association
said.
An industry source offered a rosy outlook for South Korean car exports to the two
regions, predicting this year's shipments will likely exceed those to Western
Europe.
(END)