SEOUL, March 18 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's automotive export logged a double-digit fall due to fewer working days that offset solid demand for eco-friendly vehicles, government data showed Wednesday.

Car shipment dived 20.8 percent from a year earlier to 4.81 billion U.S. dollars in February, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

The downturn was attributed to fewer business days, caused by the Lunar New Year's holidays.

Demand remained for eco-friendly vehicles, of which the shipment slightly fell 3.5 percent to 1.95 billion dollars.

The eco-friendly vehicles include electric vehicle, fuel cell electric vehicle, hybrid electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Auto export to the United States dipped 29.4 percent to 1.95 billion dollars, while shipment to the European Union, Asia and the Middle East all dropped in double figures.

The number of exported vehicles totaled 189,885 in February, down 18.5 percent compared to the same month of last year. Auto parts shipment tumbled 22.4 percent to 1.45 billion dollars.

The number of vehicles, manufactured in local factories, plunged 21.0 percent to 278,248 last month.

The number of cars sold inside the country, including locally-made and imported vehicles, was 123,275 in February, down 7.2 percent from a year earlier. ■