Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. Hyundai Motor
Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS) are on track to surpass 10 million cumulative global sales of eco-friendly vehicles by the end of this year, about 18 years after Hyundai launched the Avante Hybrid and Kia the Forte Hybrid in 2009. Analysts credit a two-track strategy that built up hybrids as a safety net while simultaneously pushing new electric-vehicle models, even through a slump in EV demand.
By the end of the first half of this year, cumulative eco-friendly vehicle sales at the two automakers reached 9,229,837 units, passing the 9 million mark, according to the auto industry on the 17th. Hyundai Motor, including Genesis, accounted for 4,904,763 units and Kia for 4,325,074.
By type, hybrids made up 5,623,312 units, EVs 2,794,248, plug-in hybrids 762,633 and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles 49,644. In the hybrid segment, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid sold the most at 854,535 units, followed by the Kia Niro Hybrid (805,041), Sportage Hybrid (658,800), Sorento Hybrid (484,631) and the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid (433,872). In the EV segment, the ranking was led by the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (511,707), Kona Electric (451,593), Kia Niro EV (332,640), EV6 (309,522) and EV3 (193,187).
Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid
Sales growth has steepened every year. When Hyundai and Kia first introduced eco-friendly vehicles in 2009, annual sales came to just 6,312 units. But the figure reached 128,976 in 2016, crossing the 100,000 threshold, and hit 1,020,196 in 2022, topping 1 million. It then climbed steadily to 1,361,386 in 2023, 1,414,567 in 2024 and 1,755,944 in 2025. In the first half of this year alone, sales rose 22.7% from a year earlier to 1,064,542 units. “If this trend continues, annual eco-friendly vehicle sales are likely to top 2 million for the first time this year,” an industry official said. “Given the roughly 7.5 million global sales target the companies set across all models at the start of the year, that means more than one in four vehicles Hyundai and Kia sell worldwide would be eco-friendly.” In that case, reaching 10 million cumulative sales is also seen as achievable without difficulty.
These results reflect the payoff from Hyundai and Kia’s strategy of growing hybrids alongside EVs even amid concerns about slowing EV demand. Hybrid sales in the first half of this year reached 705,002 units, up 26.8% from a year earlier. The strategy of quickly adding hybrid versions to popular flagship sport-utility vehicles such as the Tucson, Sportage and Sorento proved especially effective. The Sportage Hybrid and Sorento Hybrid held firm, with sales rising 21.0% and 19.4% respectively from a year earlier.
More recently, hybrid models have been added to large SUV lineups such as the Palisade and Telluride.
2027 Ioniq 5. Hyundai Motor
The EV market, whose growth had stalled, is also gradually regaining momentum. First-half EV sales at Hyundai and Kia came to 332,083 units, up 26.8% from a year earlier. The EV4 surged 509.3% to 20,224 units and the EV5 rose 552.0% to 37,531. The PV5 and EV2 also sold 32,095 and 18,694 units respectively, driving the overall figures.
To break out of a broad slump across the Ioniq series, the company is introducing the Ioniq 3, aimed at the European market, and the Ioniq V, tailored for China, this year. Genesis is also expanding its lineup with the GV90, its first large electric SUV.
Hyundai and Kia’s next eco-friendly vehicle move is the extended-range electric vehicle (EREV). An EREV pairs a pure electric powertrain driven by a battery and electric motor with a gasoline engine used as a backup for power generation. It differs from a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) in that the engine does not take part in driving the wheels and only charges the battery. Hyundai plans to launch the GV70 EREV in the North American market next year, then broaden the lineup with a mid-size SUV to enter the Chinese market. It is targeting annual sales of more than 80,000 units in North America and more than 30,000 in China. Kia also plans to release an EREV pickup truck to tap the North American market by 2030.