The Republic of Korea's auto exports increased 16.8 percent from a year earlier in September, driven by robust demand for eco-friendly cars in Europe and Asia, data showed Monday.

The value of outbound shipments of automobiles came to US$6.41 billion last month, the highest figure for any September, according to the data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

In terms of volume, exports gained 11 percent on-year to 228,000 vehicles, reported Yonhap News Agency.

The value of accumulated auto exports from January to September reached an all-time high of $54.1 billion.

Exports to the European Union surged 52.8 percent on-year to $958 million in September, while shipments to Asia spiked 62.3 percent to $823 million. Shipments to North America shrank 5.3 percent to $2.8 billion, with exports to the US dipping 7.5 percent to $2.4 billion.

By type, exports of eco-friendly cars, such as electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid cars and hydrogen cars, soared 47.5 percent from a year earlier to 90,496 vehicles last month. It marked the first time monthly exports of eco-friendly cars topped 90,000 units, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all auto exports.