Global sales of Hyundai’s hybrid vehicles rose 17% in the first quarter of the year
May 9, 2024 at 7:51 am
- The car manufacturer should be able to integrate hybrid production in the factory without requiring additional investments.
- Hyundai and Kia offer numerous hybrid and plug-in hybrid models in the USA
- BEV production at the Georgia plant will begin in the second half of this year.
Hyundai is building a massive battery-electric vehicle factory in Georgia and has now announced that it will also produce hybrid vehicles there.
The automaker is investing $12.6 billion in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities in the state and will produce several electric vehicles from Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. Hyundai Motor Global Chief Operating Officer Jose Munoz says growing interest in hybrid vehicles means the site will also be adapted to produce these vehicles, confirming that new equipment will be added to build hybrid vehicles.
Read: Hyundai still thinks Georgia is smart and will build a $5 billion battery plant there
“Now we’re at this crucial point where we can decide whether we should go full electric or whether we should go with something else,” Munoz told Auto News. “My vote here is that we should focus on something else besides electric.”
Global sales of Hyundai hybrid vehicles rose 17% in the first quarter of this year. Munoz stated that the company should be able to support hybrid vehicle production at the site without additional investments.
“I think we can more or less manage it with the current investments… That’s quite a lot,” he said.
Munoz did not say what hybrid vehicles might be built at the Georgia site. Hyundai already sells several hybrid and plug-in hybrid models in the United States, including the Tucson, Santa Fe, Elantra and Sonata. Kia also sells hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Niro, Sportage and Sorento. Genesis doesn’t have any hybrid vehicles on offer, but the G80 and GV70 are expected to get hybrid options soon.
Munoz spoke more generally about the company’s electric vehicle sales in the U.S., saying it could better compete with competitors if its locally manufactured models benefited from the full federal electric vehicle tax credit.
“Come October this year and if we qualify (for U.S. electric vehicle tax credits), we will be able to compete on the same terms as our competitors,” he said.
Production at the Georgia plant will begin in the second half of the year.
