Russia was the second-largest destination for Korean cars this year, while exports to Germany and the U.K. showed moderate growth with the market slowing in Italy and Spain, according to a report.

The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association said Monday that 154,732 Korean-made cars were exported to Russia during the nine months this year, next to 509,330 vehicles sold in the U.S.

During the same period back in 2002, Korean carmakers sold only 4,632 cars in Russia. In 2009, they saw a 75 percent drop in sales as the Russian government imposed higher tariffs on import cars.

Since then, Korean companies, including Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have geared up to expand their presence in Russia, introducing strategic models exclusively developed for the market.

The combined car sales of Korean carmakers in Russia ranked second for the first time in 2010.

Currently, Hyundai and Kia have a combined 12.2 percent market share there, only behind the market-leading Avtovaz-Renault-Nissan Alliance, a special business partnership of the Russian, French and Japanese auto companies.

The report said the U.S. continued to be the largest destination for Korean cars this year, making up 24.1 percent of the total export volume.

Saudi Arabia stood in third with 134,381 cars sold, a more than sevenfold increase from 10 years ago. Korean companies are stepping up marketing activities recently in the emerging market.

Carmakers also saw their presence slightly rise in Germany and the U.K. as former major destinations in Europe such as Italy and Spain struggled with slowing car sales.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)