Hyundai, Kia, Genesis sweep car of the year awards in 2021

Hyundai Motor Group’s major auto brands have won a record number of top global awards and industry accolades this year in recognition of its excellence in design, performance, quality and safety.

The South Korean automaking group, which includes Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp. and premium brand Genesis, has won six of the 10 top awards presented by prestigious industry organizations and auto-related media outlets in 2021, according to Hyundai.

Aided by the top industry accolades, the group’s auto sales have also increased, competing with rivals such as Stellantis, Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi for the world’s No. 3 spot, it said.

Hyundai Motor began 2021 with a win for the Elantra, a mid-size sedan known as the Avante in Korea, at the prestigious North American Car of the Year awards.

Recognition from one of the UK’s biggest car magazines, the Auto Express, soon followed.

Readers voted the Hyundai Kona SUV the UK’s Best Car to Own in the Driver Power survey, and the New Car Awards saw Hyundai dominate in six categories, including car of the year for the all-electric IONIQ 5.

The IONIQ 5 also won favor with judges to win the German Car of the Year awards.

The Hyundai i20 N, one of the Korean top automaker’s hatchback rally vehicles, has been named the car of the year by BBC Top Gear, a prestigious British auto magazine.

The turbocharged i20 N was also heralded as the industry’s best hot hatch by various publications and awards organizations in 2021, including Auto Express, Car Buyer and Scottish Car of the Year.

TOP AUTOMAKER OF THE YEAR

Hyundai Motor has been named the 2021 manufacturer of the year by BBC Top Gear in recognition of the auto brand’s innovative lineup and eco-friendly technology.

Kia has also been recognized at the BBC Top Gear awards, with the all-electric EV6 named the Crossover of the Year, while winning in the premium category at the German Car of the Year awards.

Non-EV product recognition includes the Kia Telluride making Car and Driver's 10 Best list for the third consecutive year, while the Kia Sorento was named Large SUV of the Year at the What Car? magazine’s annual awards.

Awards for the Genesis brand include the Genesis X Concept claiming the coveted Best of the Best Red Dot Design Award, as well as the GV70 receiving SUV of the year recognition from the MotorTrend magazine in the US.

QUALITY AND SAFETY

Hyundai Motor Group’s three brands have also been recognized by industry analysts in the fields of safety and quality.

In the J.D. Power Tech Experience Study, Hyundai secured the position of the highest-ranked mass-market brand, while the J.D. Power 2021 Vehicle Dependability Study named Kia as the No. 1 mass-market brand. In total, Kia America has secured the highest number of Initial Quality Study (IQS) Awards in the industry.

Genesis has also picked up several J.D. Power trophies this year, including the midsize premium car for the G80 in the vehicle dependability study; best upper midsize premium car in the IQS for G80; and the overall brand winner with the top innovation index score of 634 in the US Tech Experience Index Study.

Hyundai Motor Group said the global recognition of its cars has boosted its global sales.

Volkswagen was the top seller with 6.95 million units in the first nine months of the year, followed by Toyota Motor with 6.32 million units.

The group of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi sold a combined 5.49 million cars, followed by Hyundai Motor Group with 5.05 million units and Stellantis with 5.04 million cars.

Write to Il-Gue Kim at Black0419@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.