Hyundai: From 2035, only zero-emission sales in Europe

Hyundai is planning subtly but decisively: By 2030, 30 percent of all global sales should be "Zero Emission," and by 2040, 80 percent of worldwide sales are to be fuel cell and battery electric vehicles. In Europe, combustion engines are to be phased out by 2035. Then all Hyundais should be fuel cells or battery electric vehicles. The company also aims to further develop the topics of autonomous driving and robotics. From 2023, the Ioniq 5 is expected to service Motional as a Level 4 robotaxi in California. The company is investing in green hydrogen, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) in future electric vehicles, the recycling of used batteries, and the use of renewable energies at all Hyundai locations.

The Ioniq 6 is coming at the end of 2022

This is the broad outlook that Keller detailed: By 2025, 12 additional electric vehicles will be introduced, including the new Kona e, the Ioniq 6, and Ioniq 7, while the Staria could also come as a fuel cell version. In contrast, the original Ioniq will phase out without a successor, and markets like Asia and the USA are likely to get additional electric vehicles of their own. This means a targeted 10 percent market share in the established EV market by 2040, having already achieved 7.5 percent in Germany in 2021 with Kona e, Ioniq, Ioniq 5, and the Nexo. In other words, by 2025, the company plans to sell 670,000 electric models worldwide, including 110,000 fuel cell models.

Sales and market share in Germany have also continued to rise: from 105,051 units in 2020 to 106,620 Hyundais in 2021. In a market that shrank by 10.1 percent overall, this represented a new record market share of 4.1 percent instead of 3.6 percent in 2020. The trend continues: According to Keller, Hyundai has been collecting around 10,000 orders a month for about eight months in a row, meaning the company could surpass the 2021 numbers again in 2022 if it remains halfway capable of delivering.

The fleet business is becoming more important

Fleet sales also increased: from 1.4 to 2.4 percent market share. Here, the share of alternative drivetrains (BEV, HEV, and PHEV) was very high at 62 percent. Models continue to be sold primarily through leasing, and since 2021, over 1,000 cars have been added through subscriptions. Currently, 225 dealers are participating in the subscription program—the dealer network itself remains about the same size at 535 locations, covering Germany "well," according to Keller. He is also proud that there were only a few changes in 2021, indicating dealer satisfaction: There were 21 new locations, and the company plans around 20 new locations for 2022. Keller is also proud of the now 2,160 employees in Germany that Hyundai Motor employs, making it the largest employer among importers. Keller is also pleased with the aftersales revenue. One can now see that Hyundai has more cars on the road in Germany. In figures: accessory sales increased by around 5.3 percent compared to the previous year, and original parts sales by as much as 11.0 percent, although these also became significantly more expensive at times. The dealer profit margin has also grown, standing at around 1.9 to 2.0 percent. According to Keller, this is also helped by Hyundai’s tendency to sell increasingly high-priced cars.

This includes the electrified models as well as the sporty N models, which continue to be expanded despite CO2 regulations, while other companies have to cut their sports models for this reason. Why? "Because we can," Keller rejoices: In Germany, the Hyundai fleet achieved a low 92 g/km CO2 emissions in 2021.

He then refers to 2022 as the Ioniq year: The Ioniq 5 goes into its first full year and by the end of the year, the more expensive Ioniq 6 will be added on top, while the large SUV Ioniq 7 is more likely to follow in 2024. Whether customers perceive "Ioniq" as a separate sub-brand is "ultimately irrelevant" to Keller: The main thing is that they are satisfied – just as they are with the 2021 figures.

What does that mean?

Hyundai continues to grow and was able to announce good figures for 2021. And has further good products in the pipeline, which is why the company is likely to continue its growth in Germany in 2022.

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