Hyundai Motor Group surpassed 130,000 electric vehicle sales in the European market in the first half of this year for the first time on a half-year basis, as Chairman Chung Euisun personally visited the group’s production base in Türkiye. Amid intense competition from Chinese electric vehicle brands, Hyundai Motor Group plans to use the strategically positioned compact electric vehicle “IONIQ 3,” produced in Türkiye, to step up its push into the European market.

According to Hyundai Motor Group on the 2nd, Chairman Chung visited the Izmit plant in Türkiye on the 30th of last month (local time), ahead of the start of mass production of the IONIQ 3, to review production and sales strategies. The IONIQ 3 is Hyundai Motor’s first B‑segment (small car class) electric vehicle for the European market, and will be mass‑produced at the Türkiye plant from mid‑August, with sales in Europe beginning in the second half of the year (July–December). Chairman Chung stressed the need to secure quality competitiveness, saying, “From the initial stage of mass production, quality must be the top priority, and we must achieve a level of completion that exceeds customer expectations.”

Chung’s decision to visit the production site in person reflects the importance of the IONIQ 3 as a core model that will shape Hyundai Motor’s European electric vehicle strategy. The European automobile market is divided into segments such as A (mini), B (small), and C (compact), and the B‑segment, to which the IONIQ 3 belongs, is the fiercest battleground, accounting for about 15% of the total market. Recently, Chinese brands such as BYD, Geely, MG, Chery, and Leapmotor have been rapidly expanding their presence in this segment by leveraging their price competitiveness and strengths in batteries and software. Hyundai Motor’s strategy is to take on Chinese brands head‑on with the IONIQ 3, which combines price competitiveness and strong product attributes. The company is targeting annual sales of more than 40,000 units from next year.

Hyundai Motor Group has recently been performing well in Europe. According to the automobile industry, Hyundai Motor and Kia sold 131,032 electric vehicles in Europe in the first half of this year (January–June), achieving their best‑ever half‑year performance. This figure represents a 41.8% increase compared with the second half of last year. The Kia EV3 was the best‑selling model with 27,121 units, while Hyundai’s Inster (Casper Electric) also sold 16,594 units. At the current pace, the group’s annual EV sales in Europe are highly likely to surpass 200,000 units for the first time this year.

In line with the increase in sales, Hyundai Motor Group is restructuring its European production system around electric vehicles. The Nosovice plant in the Czech Republic serves as a key base producing models such as the Kona Electric, while the Türkiye plant is being transformed into a production hub for small electric vehicles in Europe, mass‑producing the IONIQ 3 following the existing i20 and Bayon. Kia is also expanding local production by manufacturing the EV2 and EV4 at its plant in Slovakia.

The expansion of local production is also a strategy to respond to changes in European Union (EU) industrial policy. The EU is promoting the Industrial Acceleration Act (IAA), known as the “European IRA,” which emphasizes intra‑EU production and preferential treatment for low‑carbon products.

Meanwhile, Chairman Chung also visited Hyundai Mobis’ battery system (BSA) plant in Türkiye to inspect the production process for the battery systems that will be installed in the IONIQ 3. He said, “Based on the achievements of the past 30 years, we must change the way we work to match a new era,” adding, “We must pursue continuous innovation and strengthen competitiveness so that we can become the leading company in Türkiye in all areas, including production, quality, and sales.”

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