November 22, 2024

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The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N was named the 2024 World Performance Car of the Year. (Hyundai Motor Group)

Hyundai Motor Group has once again triumphed at the 2024 World Car Awards, with its vehicles being named World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle, and World Performance Car of the Year.

The World Car Awards is an annual event organized by automotive journalists globally to honor excellence in the car industry across multiple categories.

This accolade marks the third consecutive victory for Hyundai Motor Group in the World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle of the Year categories, beginning with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 in 2022, followed by the Ioniq 6 in 2023, and now the Kia EV9 in 2024. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N was also named the 2024 World Performance Car of the Year.

Since launching its dedicated EV models three years ago, 66 percent of its awards have been for E-GMP-based EVs. Specifically, the 2021 Hyundai Ioniq 5, including the Ioniq 5 N variant, won 10 awards, while the 2022 Ioniq 6 secured six awards. The Ioniq brand, Hyundai's electric vehicle line, contributed to more than half of Hyundai's total award count of 28.

The group's award streak extends beyond these titles, securing 66 awards from a pool of 274 across six key annual automotive awards, including the North American Car of the Year and European Car of the Year, in regions such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and the United States. This count is double the number of awards won by the runner-up Volkswagen Group, which received 33.

By brand, the Hyundai and Kia brands received 28 and 27 awards respectively, placing them ahead of Mazda with 19 awards, Volkswagen with 17, and Honda with 16.

The group's luxury brand, Genesis, also performed well, tying for 10th place with automotive leaders BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz, each securing 11 awards. Every Genesis model, including the G70, G80, G80 Electric, G90, GV60, GV70, GV70 Electric, and GV80, received at least one award.

Hyundai Motor Group's ambition extends beyond its current achievements. With the forthcoming completion of the Kia Autoland Gwangmyeong EV plant and the introduction of next-generation electrification models, including the Hyundai Seven electric concept sport utility vehicle and the Genesis Neolun concept SUV, Hyundai aims to position itself among the top three global EV automakers by 2030.

By Moon Joon-hyun (mjh@heraldcorp.com)
The Korea Herald