Seoul: The number of registered hybrid vehicles in South Korea is on track to exceed 2 million this year for the first time, data revealed on Sunday. As of October, the number of registered hybrid vehicles in the country had reached 1,925,001. According to Yonhap News Agency, the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport indicates that the total number of registrations is expected to surpass 2 million before the year's end, provided the current monthly pace of 40,000 new additions is maintained over the final two months. This growth marks a significant milestone since hybrid vehicles were first introduced locally in 2008. Hybrid vehicle registrations have seen a steady increase over the years, breaking the 500,000 mark in 2019, reaching 1 million in 2022, and achieving 1.5 million last year, as noted by the ministry. This expansion has contributed to the combined share of environmentally friendly vehicles, including electric, hydrogen, and hybrid cars, reaching 10 percent of total vehicle registrations in October, marking the first-ever double-digit reading. In addition to hybrid vehicles, the data showed that as of October, there were 661,141 registered electric cars and 37,443 registered hydrogen ones. The combined share of environmentally friendly cars stood at just 0.9 percent in 2015 but has grown rapidly to reach 5 percent in 2022, demonstrating the increasing shift towards sustainable transportation options in South Korea.