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Hyundai Motor Group prepares hybrid automobiles for India in strategy shift, sources say

Hyundai Motor Group prepares to introduce its first hybrid cars and trucks in India as early as 2026, 3 sources stated, as the South Korean auto group shifts strategy to look beyond electric automobiles and enhances its existence in an essential market.

The group, housing Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp. , is examining a hybrid sport-utility lorry of. size similar to its top-selling, mid-sized Creta SUV in India,. said 2 of the sources, who have direct knowledge of the plans.

Both Hyundai, which is India's second-largest carmaker, and. Kia are targeting the launch of hybrid SUVs in 2026 or 2027, the. 2 sources stated, including that their EV plans for India were likewise. on track.

In a declaration on Tuesday, Hyundai Motor Group informed . it was committed to a future of energized mobility and will. optimize product strategies for each market.

The pivot to hybrids - which use a gas powertrain and. electrical motor - comes as Hyundai sees a surge in sales of the. innovation in India, prompting it to move away from an initial. technique that focused only on battery-driven electric vehicles.

Hyundai and Kia, which now sell just gasoline and diesel. cars and trucks and imported EVs such as the IONIQ 5 and EV6, respectively,. are working to launch their first India-made EVs worldwide's. third-largest automobile market in 2025.

Building EVs in India would have obvious long-run strategic. value for Hyundai and Kia however the underdeveloped EV. manufacturing and charging facilities remain an obstacle,. said among the sources.

Until EV sales pick up rate, Hyundai wishes to get dibs on. India's hybrid market, the individual said.

That is why Hyundai has embraced hybrids as an interim. method for India because it already has the technology. internationally, stated a 2nd source.

It has now begun deal with customizing that technology for vehicles. in India to make it traditional, the source stated.

Regional brand names in India do not presently provide competitive. hybrid cars and trucks in the nation and the sector is controlled by. Japanese competitors like Toyota Motor, said Shin Yoon-chul,. an analyst at Kiwoom Securities.

Hyundai and Kia, who have experience of structure hybrids,. might command that market share in India, Yoon-chul added.

Toyota had 78% share of India's hybrid market in 2023,. market leader Maruti Suzuki had 20% and Honda Motor the. staying 2%, according to data from Kiwoom.

GROWING POPULARITY

The popularity of hybrids, which are more affordable than EVs and. deal fuel cost savings over gasoline models without the headache of. charging, has actually grown in India since Toyota Motor launched its. initially mass-market hybrid SUV in 2022.

Hybrid designs accounted for about 2% of India's overall automobile. sales of 4.1 million in 2023. The share of EVs was simply above. 2%, despite the fact that the first budget-friendly design was released by. domestic business Tata Motors in 2020.

The rise in hybrid vehicle sales comes despite a high domestic. products and services tax of 43% on such models versus 5% for EVs,. because of their ecological benefits.

While Toyota has been lobbying the federal government to cut the 43%. tax, carmakers like Tata and even Hyundai opposed such modifications. as just recently as this year, stating they would harm financial investments.

Hyundai is pushing ahead with hybrid plans in spite of the high. taxes. It was not immediately clear if the carmaker would now. desire New Delhi to continue keeping high taxes on hybrids or. look for a reduction.

Hyundai's hybrids will permit it to much better take on rival. Maruti Suzuki which sells such models in collaboration with Toyota. and prepares more budget friendly launches with innovation from parent. Suzuki Motor.

India is Hyundai's 3rd biggest revenue generator after the. United States and South Korea.

It is doubling down on the South Asian nation, where it. strategies a $3-billion IPO, after cutting down output in China. following years of losses there, and having offered its two Russian. plants.

(source: Reuters)