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Hyundai India's slow EV ramp-up hurts its decarbonisation plan: Greenpeace

Hyundai and Kia saw their per-vehicle tailpipe emissions drop in their major markets of Europe and South Korea between 2018 and 2023

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The adoption of EVs in India remains challenging for most automakers mainly due to high upfront costs. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Reuters BENGALURU

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A slow ramp-up of electric vehicle sales for Hyundai and its affiliate Kia in India and increased sales of gasoline-engine SUVs are undermining their decarbonisation efforts, Greenpeace East Asia said on Tuesday.

Hyundai and Kia saw their per-vehicle tailpipe emissions drop in their major markets of Europe and South Korea between 2018 and 2023, the environmental group said in a report.

But their vehicle emissions rose in at least seven other regions including India, the world's third-largest auto market, over the same period, according to the report.

The two firms together hold the No. 2 spot in India, their fourth-largest market. Hyundai, which last year listed its local unit there, is investing heavily in the country and a new plant is set to be operational from September.

 

Greenpeace said the automakers had made "minimal electrification efforts" and boosted sales of larger vehicles such as SUVs.

Hyundai and Kia did not reply to a request for comment.

Hyundai sells six SUVs in India, one of them electric. Its number of SUVs is on par with market leader Maruti Suzuki but SUVs account for two-thirds of Hyundai's India sales, more than Maruti's two-fifths.

The adoption of EVs in India remains challenging for most automakers mainly due to high upfront costs, limited charging infrastructure and range anxiety.

Hyundai and Kia together offer two imported EVs in India, faring better than rivals such as VW, Renault and Toyota which have yet to begin EV sales.

Hyundai plans to unveil its first locally made electric SUV called Creta on Friday and launch four more EVs by 2030. Kia plans to launch its first locally produced EV this year.

EVs make up roughly 2% of India's total new car sales of 4 million. The government wants to increase that proportion to 30% by 2030.

Greenpeace has also previously criticised other automakers such as Toyota and VW for their decarbonisation efforts.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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First Published: Jan 14 2025 | 11:06 AM IST

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