The Future of Hyundai and Kia

Hyundai-Kia and the Marktet

I have recently done stories covering Hyundai’s latest endeavors in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and EVs. I can respect Hyundai and Kia’s dive into these technologies as this seems to be the growing trend in the car market. Consumers seem quite fond of Tesla and aspire to own a Tesla. There have been quality issues with Tesla, and the price is still too high for most consumers to adopt. I think Hyundai and Kia can undoubtedly acquire a significant market share in EV sales as it makes quality products at an affordable price.

I have reviewed multiple Hyundai and Kia cars, and I like almost all of them. The quietness and refinement that gets injected into its vehicles are luxury car rivaling. When you factor in price, it is virtually a no brainer for me in the pack of “normal” cars that are available right now to go with either a Hyundai or Kia.

Hyundai-Kia and it's Goals

But the trend is EVs, and this is the market that Hyundai and Kia want to play in. I will discuss Hyundai’s leap into commercial Hydrogen cars in a bit, but from the consumer side, we are interested in EVs. I wrote in the past how Hyundai and Kia want to sell 670,000 EVs annually by 2025, globally. Hyundai was recently able to sell 100,000 Hyundai Kona Electric models in 2 years globally, so I would say both companies are on the way there, especially since multiple EV models are in the works for the future.

Now, Hyundai specifically also has a substantial investment in hydrogen fuel cell commercial trucks. I covered the Hyundai XCIENT hydrogen commercial truck’s release, which Hyundai just sent 10 of to Switzerland. That may not sound like much, but this is a big step for hydrogen tech. I am particularly interested in this because the commercial vehicle has little to no emissions regulations, unlike the everyday cars we own.

Hyundai’s ambition to create a zero-emission commercial truck is excellent. It may loosen regulations on the cars we drive, which is why we are seeing more and more manufacturers going for forced induction turbo four-cylinder engines and 10-speed transmissions. All this to get better fuel economy, but you know if you owned one of these new cars with this tech, they feel very unnatural to drive and don’t get the fuel economy claimed in the real-world.

Hyundai only sent 10 XCIENT trucks to Switzerland, but plan to send 50 more this year. Hyundai wants to send more of these trucks throughout Europe, but the XCIENT is not the only hydrogen accomplishment from Hyundai. A hydrogen-powered generator got created for use in households, and Hyundai plans to sell and promote these for a zero-emission future.

EVs and hydrogen-powered cars will never have the same emotional connection that simple V6 or V8 gasoline-powered cars can create. Manual transmissions have pretty much disappeared, and now Hyundai wants a zero-emission future, which I respect. However, my main hope is that when EVs take over, there can be a niche market that is fulfilled by manufacturers, and we can get our regular combustion engine cars back for pleasure.

Hyundai-Kia's Future

There is no doubt that Hyundai and Kia will succeed in making proper EVs that are affordable and will be a quality object. Hyundai and Kia may not always make the most exciting cars in the world, but it makes a satisfying and refined streetcar backed by one of the best warranties in the business. Yes, the future is filled with EVs, and Hyundai and Kia will undoubtedly be participating in that future. The petrolhead can only hope that emotion-filled gasoline-powered cars can also have a future when everything else becomes zero-emission.

Read about Hyundai's first electric minibus here.

Kevin Meyn is an automotive journalist for Torque News concentrating on Hyundai content. Kevin is the founder of Exhaust Sports Auto Youtube channel, where he does professional car reviews on new and used vehicles. Through the use of various resources and extended Automotive expertise, Kevin documents the latest in automotive news revolving around Hyundai. Kevin graduated from NC State University studying Supply Chain Management but has had a passion for cars since he was a child. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Instagram @exhaustsports.