Hyundai Motor Group surpasses Volkswagen in global profit

Hyundai Motor Group surpassed Germany’s Volkswagen Group in operating profit during the first half of the year, claiming the world’s second-largest position.

According to corporate disclosures analyzed on Sunday, Hyundai posted about 150.07 trillion won in sales and roughly 13.01 trillion won in operating profit from January through June. Toyota Motor led with operating profit of approximately 2.28 trillion yen (about 21.29 trillion won), placing Hyundai second worldwide.

In terms of sales, Hyundai ranked behind Volkswagen but outperformed it in profitability.

Based on won-denominated figures, Volkswagen posted 256.25 trillion won (about 158.36 billion euros) in sales, Toyota 229.87 trillion won (about 24.62 trillion yen), followed by Hyundai. By vehicle sales volume, Toyota sold 5,544,880 units, Volkswagen 4,405,316, and Hyundai 3,696,732.

Industry analysts expect Hyundai’s profitability to improve further in the second half of the year. Kim Chang-ho, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities, said producing and selling hybrid vehicles in the United States will help the company avoid tariffs and boost profits.


Won-Joo Lee takeoff@donga.com