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Hyundai-Kia sells 300,000-plus green cars overseas this year

Hyundai-Kia sells 300,000-plus green cars overseas this year

Posted December. 28, 2020 07:55,   

Updated December. 28, 2020 07:55

한국어

Hyundai Kia Automotive Group saw the overseas sales of eco-friendly cars exceed more than 300,000 units this year for the first time. The South Korean car makers announced on Sunday that 306,266 eco-friendly cars – EVs (Electric Vehicles), PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles), HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) and FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) - sold across the globe except their home country from January to November, a 28.6 percent increase from 238,155 units on a year-on-year basis.

EVs have turned out to be the greatest contributor to sales expansion by doubling from 68,907 to 137,286 units. In particular, the Kona EV and the Niro EV sold 70,018 and 44,146 units, respectively, playing a key role in the global market. As many as 24,717 units of the Kona EV manufactured in the Czech Republic sold in the European market, apart from those produced in South Korea.

In contrast to the expansion of the EV market, HEV sales shrank by 7.6 percent year-on-year during the same period. HEVs run on a battery for start and low-speed operation while using an internal combustion engine for a long-haul trip. Hyundai sells the IONIQ, the Sonata and the Tucson in the global HEV market while Kia produces the Niro and the Sorento. Only Hyundai’s small crossover Nexo recorded a sales of 865 units in the FCEV market to increase its market size inch by inch, having already exceeded last year’s sales of 793 units in September.

Sales of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group's green car line-ups will next year gain momentum as it releases a new EV model equipped with the E-GMP or a next-generation EV platform. Hyundai's long-term goal is to stop producing internal combustion engines in the United States and Europe and instead increase its market share up to 10 percent in the global EV industry by 2040. Kia also plans to make sure that EVs take up a quarter of the total sales by 2029.


Hyung-Seok Seo skytree08@donga.com