Hyundai: half of its US sales will be eco-friendly cars by 2030

Hyundai Motor Co. said it aims for half of its US vehicle sales to be environment friendly models by 2030 while planning to produce electric vehicles in the world's most important automobile market, a company executive has said.

Jose Munoz, Hyundai's global chief operating officer, made the comments in an interview with a group of Korean reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show 2022.

The South Korean carmaker is fully prepared to raise the proportion of eco-friendly vehicles in US sales to 40-50 percent in the next eight years, given it is now equipped with a well-diversified portfolio and product competitiveness, the COO said.

He picked Hyundai's strengthened SUV lineup, the rapid addition of electrified models to its lineup, and its improved image as a premium carmaker through the Genesis brand as key factors that boosted sales in the United States.

In the US market, where demand for SUVs is on the rise, Hyundai sells the Tucson, Santa Fe, and Santa Cruz SUVs, and 65 percent of its US sales are SUV models, he said.

Demand for its all-electric, plug-in hybrid and gasoline hybrid models has also been on the increase in recent years, rapidly catching up with its bigger rivals, such as BMW, Audi and Lexus, in terms of the pace of growth.

Zero-emission and less-emitting models account for around 10 percent of Hyundai's overall US sales, but the proportion is expected to rise over time.