Hyundai Motor plans roll out of plug-in hybrid in 2013

SEOUL: Hyundai Motor Co , the world’s fifth-biggest automaker along with affiliate Kia Motors Corp , plans to mass produce a plug-in hybrid version of its Sonata sedan in 2013, a media report said.

Hyundai had completed development of the plug-in hybrid and had been conducting test runs of a prototype model, the Chosun Ilbo reported, citing industry officials.

A Hyundai spokesperson said the company planned to launch a plug-in hybrid in 2013, but had not decided which model to roll out.

Plug-in hybrids can be recharged at home from the mains supply, unlike conventional gasoline-electric hybrid cars that are recharged only when the driver applies the brakes.

Hyundai and Kia have been laggards in the global electric car race, focusing more on fuel-efficient gasoline vehicles.

General Motors Co has introduced the plug-in hybrid Volt, while Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co Ltd plan to launch plug-in hybrids in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Hyundai plans to launch a hybrid version of the Sonata, its first global hybrid model, in South Korea in May, while Kia eyes rollouts of the Optima Hybrid the same month here.

“There are hurdles to (the takeoff of) pure electric vehicles because of the short driving range and lack of charging facilities,” the Chosun Ilbo quoted a Hyundai official as saying.

Hyundai, Kia lift 2011 sales target by 3%

Reuters: South Korea’s Hyundai Motor and its affiliate, Kia Motors, have increased their sales target by three per cent to 6.5 million vehicles this year, as they seek to aggressively boost sales, a media report said.

The move came as the two South Korean carmakers, which together rank fifth in global car sales, are expected to gain market share after their Japanese rivals such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan were hit by production disruption following the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.  “We have not officially revised our target, but it is clear that we need to conduct global marketing vigorously,” Maeil Business Newspaper quoted a senior Hyundai Motor Group official as saying.

A Kia spokesperson did not confirm the report.

Hyundai and Kia said in January they aimed to sell 6.33 million vehicles this year, up 10 per cent from 2010. Hyundai aims to sell 3.9 million vehicles this year, while Kia targets 2.43 million unit sales. Hyundai and Kia posted strong monthly sales in March, driven by new models and as they largely escaped the supply disruptions from Japan that affected many global carmakers.