EVs help Hyundai’s global awards haul

Hyundai has secured a multitude of top industry accolades, with electric models Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 achieving numerous ‘Car of the Year’ award wins and 2022 short listings.

All three of Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) automotive brands – Hyundai Motor, Kia and Genesis – have been recognised to secure a multitude of top automotive, technology and design honours.

The Genesis GV60, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are all based on HMG’s dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), developed in-house specifically for EVs.

The recently announced 2022 European ‘Car of the Year’ awards shortlist included both the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.

Multiple IIHS and J.D. Power award wins highlight Hyundai’s rigorous approach to product quality and safety while its continued shift to an electric line-up sets the stage for a strong performance in 2022.

“I am immensely proud of the achievements of the Hyundai Motor Group in 2021,” HMG president and R&D division head Albert Biermann says.

“It has been a challenging year in various ways, but our enthusiasm and commitment to provide excellent products for our customers has paid off, and every single one of these awards will drive us even stronger to exceed our customers’ expectations.

“We have made significant advances in R&D over recent years, and our award-winning electrified products are the physical embodiment of that expertise, strategy and investment.”

Awards have included Auto Express readers voting the Hyundai Kona the UK’s ‘Best Car to Own’ in the Driver Power survey, and the New Car Awards saw Hyundai dominate in six categories, including ‘Car of the Year’ for the Ioniq 5 which also won the German ‘Car of the Year’ awards.

Hyundai Motor was also honoured with ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ at the BBC Top Gear awards, where the Kia EV6 was ‘Crossover of the Year’, while also winning in the ‘Premium’ category at the German ‘Car of the Year’ awards.

Awards for the Genesis brand included the Genesis X Concept claiming the ‘Best of the Best’ Red Dot Design Award, as well as the GV70 receiving ‘SUV of the Year’ recognition from Motor Trend magazine in the US.

Hyundai’s hydrogen powered Nexo received the Australian Drive Car of the Year 2021 Innovation Excellence Award.

More awards are likely to come for HMG in 2022 with several further nominations to be decided while the Genesis GV70 and Ioniq 5 are two of three finalists in the ‘North American Utility Vehicle of the Year’.