Hyundai Motor edges towards 200,000 annual sales in the U.K.

[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor Group is on the brink of achieving a significant milestone in the United Kingdom, the Europe’s second-largest automotive market. The three car brands under the group – Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis – are poised to hit a record 200,000 annual sales in 2024.

Hyundai Motor Group has been enhancing its presence in the United Kingdom, securing a notable share of one in every ten new car sales. The group also ramped up its marketing activities, participating in major automotive festivals and collaborating with the Tate Gallery.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Hyundai Motor Group sold a record 196,239 vehicles in the UK last year. Sales for 2024 totaled 107,326 units in the January to June period, up 1.3 percent from the previous year. This progress suggests that Hyundai Motor Group is well on track to surpass its previous record of 186,625 units set in 2017 and likely achieve 200,000 annual sales in the United Kingdom by the end of 2024.

The United Kingdom is a critical market for Hyundai Motor Group, ranking second in Europe after Germany with an annual market size of 1.9 million vehicles and the company has maintained a stable market share of over 10 percent. The group’s market share stood at 10.66 percent in the first half of 2024, following its 11.25 percent share in 2022 and 10.31 percent in 2023, to mark a third consecutive year of double-digit market shares.

Brand-wise, Hyundai sold 46,404 units in the first half of 2024, ranking ninth. Genesis sold 556 units, placing 39th, while Kia sold 60,366 units to secure fourth place. The group’s SUVs are particularly popular in the United Kingdom, with Kia’s Sportage SUV selling 24,139 units in the first half of the year, making it the second best-selling vehicle overall. Hyundai’s Tucson SUV sold 16,182 units, ranking ninth.

Hyundai Motor Group is also expanding its lineup of eco-friendly vehicles in the United Kingdom, where the demand for electric and hybrid cars is high. According to the SMMT, nearly 40 percent of the 1,006,763 cars sold in the United Kingdom in the first half of 2024 were electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid vehicles (HEVs), or plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs).

Hyundai has significantly expanded its electric vehicle lineup in the United Kingdom, introducing the high-performance Ioniq 5 N in 2024 and increasing the number of EV models from two in 2020 to seven within four years. The lineup includes the Kona EV, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 5 N, Ioniq 6, GV60, GV70, and G80 electric models. Kia added the three-row electric SUV EV9 in 2023, bringing its total number of electrified models sold in the United Kingdom to four.

Beyond electric vehicles, Hyundai plans to launch the new Santa Fe in the United Kingdom, focusing on hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions. These efforts contributed to Hyundai Motor Group’s eco-friendly vehicle sales reaching 53,169 units in the first half of 2024, up 9 percent on-year. Eco-friendly vehicles now make up nearly half (about 49.5 percent) of the group’s total sales in the United Kingdom, with an annual volume of almost 100,000 units.

In addition to its automotive success, Hyundai Motor Group is expanding its cultural and artistic sponsorships and has partnered with Tate Gallery since 2014 to support large-scale exhibition projects. The Genesis Scottish Open, Europe’s premier golf tournament sponsored by Genesis, will also take place from July 11th to 14th, 2024.