Hyundai Motor Group's Euisun Chung named Person of the Year in MotorTrend's 2023 Power List

MotorTrend, a U.S. automobile magazine, ranks the 50 most influential people in the global automotive industry each year in its Power List.

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung speaks during the company's New Year Greetings event held on Jan. 3 at its Namyang R&D Center in Gyeonggi. [YONHAP]

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung was named Person of the Year in MotorTrend’s 2023 Power List on Thursday.

MotorTrend, a U.S. automobile magazine, ranks the 50 most influential people in the global automotive industry each year in its Power List.

Chung ranked fifth in 2022, after first appearing on the list at No. 12 in 2018.

Chung is “leading Hyundai Motor Group into a new age,” MotorTrend said.

“The vehicles coming out of Hyundai Motor Group are notable for their eye-catching design, quality, clever packaging, and good value — and they are proving increasingly difficult to beat.”

In 2022, Hyundai Motor and Kia sold a combined 1.47 million cars in the United States, its largest market.

It is a 1.0 percent decrease from a record sales number of 1.48 million in 2021, yet it is considered a stronger performance compared to other carmakers as the U.S. market saw an 8 percent on-year fall in unit sales due to inflation and base rate hikes last year.

The magazine also named the Genesis G90 sedan the Car of the Year for 2023, and Hyundai’s all-electric Ioniq 5 sports utility vehicle (SUV) as the SUV of the Year.

Hyundai Motor Group’s other executives in the Power List include Luc Donckerwolke, president and chief creative officer, in third place and Jose Munoz, global chief operating officer, in 10th.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]