PHNOM PENH, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia spent a total of 1.1 billion U.S. dollars for importing cars in 2025, a significant rise of 60 percent from 686.7 million dollars in the year before, said a Ministry of Commerce's report obtained on Thursday.

The report did not disclose the number of cars the Southeast Asian country imported last year.

Thong Mengdavid, deputy director at the China-ASEAN Studies Center of the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, said a key factor behind this sharp increase was the rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs).

"EV registrations have expanded quickly, with thousands of electric cars added to Cambodia's roads in 2025," he told Xinhua.

This trend signals not only a shift in consumer preferences toward greener mobility, but also deeper structural changes, he said. "Expanded EV charging infrastructure and ambitious national electrification goals are creating conditions that support sustained growth in Cambodia's EV market over the medium to long term." ■