DETROIT – Hyundai has big plans for the “eco” market, with the maker planning to introduce 26 new hybrid, plug-in, battery-electric and fuel-cell vehicles between now and 2020, a blitz that begins with this year’s launch of the new Ioniq model.
The challenge, said the head of the Korean carmaker’s green car program, will be winning over motorists who’ve so far shown a reluctance to buy battery and hydrogen cars in large numbers. But, facing increasingly stringent emissions and mileage mandates, Hyundai – and its rivals – have no choice but to bring cleaner, more energy-efficient products to market, said executive Byung Ki Ahn.
“We’re making a serious effort to be the number two producer of EVs and fuel-cell vehicles,” said Ahn, the director of the Eco-Vehicle Performance Development Group for Hyundai and partner Kia. “I don’t think we can beat Toyota right away.”
Initially slow to embrace alternative power, the company has been ramping up its efforts over the last several years, adding a variety of new vehicles, such as hybrid and plug-in versions of the Hyundai Sonata, a pure battery-electric Kia Soul, and a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered version of the Hyundai Tucson.
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