Hyundai, Kia’s tech sets them apart with record hybrid vehicle sales

Like their global peers, Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Corp. recently turned their sights back to hybrid vehicles as electric vehicle uptakes are slower than expected for a number of reasons, including weak infrastructure.

There’s one thing, however, that sets them apart from other automakers: A hybrid vehicle technology that the two South Korean companies have advanced for more than a decade.

According to industry data on Thursday, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 766,964 hybrid vehicles globally in the first 11 months of the year, up 32% from the year-earlier period.

Barring the unexpected, the Korean duo’s hybrid car sales are certain to exceed 800,000 units to post record sales by the end of this year.

The two carmakers, part of Hyundai Motor Group, made no secret of hybrid vehicles’ contribution to its rise in global ranking to become the No. 3 automaker by volume.



With renewed interest in hybrid models, consumers around the world are looking to a variety of such vehicles sold by Hyundai and Kia, industry watchers said.

In the US, the world’s second-largest auto market, the two Korean carmakers sell seven hybrid models, compared to Ford and its luxury brand Lincoln’s six, Stellantis N.V.’s three and GM’s one.

TECHNOLOGICAL PROWESS

Hyundai Motor Group’s hybrid vehicle technology is regarded as one of the world’s best.

In 1991, Hyundai developed its Alpha series of gasoline engines of its design – the first of its kind in Korea.

Based on its technology, the automotive group in 2011 developed a parallel hybrid system, becoming the world’s first to do so, which has both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor – a system that became the most common hybrid system by 2016.

Hyundai then moved on to develop a 1.6-liter turbo engine hybrid system and hybrid batteries in-house.

The company now sets its sights on developing a next-generation 2.5-liter turbo engine hybrid system by 2025.

“With the hybrid technology it has accumulated for more than 10 years, Hyundai has an advantage over others at a time when hybrids are back in focus again,” said an industry official.

TO BUILD NEW HYBRID PRODUCTION LINE

According to a tally by CarIsYou Data Research Institute, new hybrid car registrations in the first 10 months of the year reached 249,854 units, up 43.5% from the year-earlier period.

Over the same period, EV registrations fell 4.4% to 130,356 units from 139,218.

To roll out more hybrid cars, which are catching on with Korean drivers, Hyundai plans to renovate its Ulsan Plant 3, which used to make only sedans, to also produce hybrid models of its best-selling Tucson and Kona SUVs from March next year.

Previously, the Kona Hybrid and the Tucson Hybrid were manufactured only at Ulsan Plant 1 and Ulsan Plant 5, respectively.

Next February, hybrid manufacturing lines will be newly set up at Ulsan Plant 3, industry officials said.

Kia said last month it would introduce a turbo hybrid powertrain to the Carnival lineup, its flagship large recreational vehicle, for the first time to lure consumers to its hybrid models.

In the Korean market, industry watchers expect hybrid car sales to surpass sales of diesel models for the first time this year on an annual basis.

Write to Nan-Sae Bin and Sungsu Bae at binthere@hankyung.com


In-Soo Nam edited this article.