Greenpeace has expressed concerns over the global emissions of Hyundai increasing by 6% in 2023, according to its latest sustainability report.
Greenpeace East Asia campaigner Hyeran Hong said, “Hyundai’s latest sustainability report reveals a worrisome trend. In 2023, Hyundai’s emissions increased by 8.7 million tonnes, an increase that alone exceeded the total emissions of Costa Rica. We are facing increasingly intense storms, heatwaves, and droughts – an emission increase from one of the world’s biggest carmakers is not good news.”
Greenpeace pointed out that while Hyundai is seen as a leader in electrification, the latest report tells a different story. “In 2023, 93.5% of Hyundai vehicles sold contained an internal combustion engine. Hyundai’s continued reliance on fossil fuel vehicle sales poses a serious threat to our climate,” said Hong.
After analysing Hyundai’s sustainability report, Greenpeace also noted that it contains no mention of Genesis’ electrification goal. In 2021, Hyundai announced that all new Genesis vehicles launched in 2025 or later would be fully electric vehicles (battery EVs and fuel cell EVs). Since then, each year Hyundai has included the goal of ‘100% Electrification of Genesis by 2030’ in its sustainability report, but this year the line is absent.
Also, instead of prioritising zero emissions, Hyundai has intensified its focus on hybrid vehicles, a sales strategy that falls short of achieving full decarbonisation, according to the environment protection non-profit. On average, lifecycle emissions from hybrids are only 20.5% lower than those from traditional combustion engine vehicles. Despite this, in 2023, Hyundai’s hybrid vehicle sales surged by 40.5%, while sales of electric vehicles grew by just 16.8%. Greenpeace also pointed out that in some markets, hybrids face increasing regulatory barriers so an emphasis on hybrids over battery electric vehicles is not a sustainable business strategy.
Hong said, “If Hyundai truly wants to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality, it must shift its focus toward battery electric vehicles. The goal should be for Hyundai to set ambitious EV sales targets consistent with its strategy to be a first mover in electrification. In parts of the world, the annual temperature increase has already surpassed 3 degrees Celsius. The world needs Hyundai and other automakers to stop selling fossil fuel vehicles in all markets by 2030 at the latest.”
