Hyundai and Kia: E-models became much more important in 2021

Hyundai reported strong growth in electrified models in Germany: Compared to 2020, the share of electrified models in 2021 grew by 150 percent in registrations of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric models. For the compact SUV Kona, the most successful model in 2021 with nearly 30,000 registrations, 17,240 registrations—or 58 percent—were for the purely electric version of the approximately 26,800 purely electric Hyundais overall. The Ioniq 5 contributed around 7,000 registrations in its first (not yet complete) sales year, leaving (only) around 2,000 registrations for the original Ioniq. This placed Hyundai fourth in the electric registration ranking behind VW, Tesla, and Renault, with a market share of 7.5 percent. Less favorable: SUVs accounted for around 51 percent of Hyundai's fleet in Germany in 2021 (over 54,000 vehicles). However, almost 80 percent of those (over 42,000 registrations) were versions with alternative drives.

Kia also saw a significant increase in the share of electrified models

Kia also had positive news to report in 2021, including the highest market share in Europe to date: In an overall market that declined by around 1.5 percent, the brand increased its share to 4.3 percent according to a statement—up from 3.5 percent in 2020. At the same time, Kia's sales in the EU, EFTA states, and the UK rose significantly in 2021: With 502,677 units sold, Kia saw an increase of around 20.63 percent in new vehicle sales compared to 2020 (416,715 units). This growth was also mainly driven by electrified models. Pure electric vehicles, full hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and mild hybrids made up 39 percent of total sales in Europe. In Germany, 45 percent of Kia's sales in 2021 were electrified vehicles. Here, the brand also achieved a record market share of 2.5 percent (total sales: 65,839 units). Jason Jeong, President of Kia Europe, commented:

“2021 was an extremely successful year for Kia in Europe, and our highest market share to date testifies to the hard work of my colleagues both at Kia and in our dealership network.”

The still young models Sportage and EV6 and the new Niro are likely to keep business rolling.

What does this mean?

As expected, the share of electrified models within the Hyundai group continues to grow steadily—and the Koreans still have a few sharp arrows in their quiver for 2022. The trend is likely to continue strongly.