Hyundai Motor Group maintained its position as the third-largest automaker in electric vehicle sales outside China in January, according to a report by SNE Research released Monday.

The report stated that Hyundai Motor Group delivered 37,000 EVs — including all-electric and plug-in hybrid models — outside of China in January, holding onto the third-place ranking it achieved last year.

In the global EV market share rankings, which exclude China, Hyundai Motor Group held an 8 percent market share, trailing Volkswagen Group (17.6 percent) and Tesla (12.4 percent). Toyota Motor, the world’s largest automaker, ranked 10th with a 4.2 percent share.

Hyundai Motor Group’s EV sales grew by 3,000 vehicles, or 8.4 percent, from January 2024. Meanwhile, the total number of newly registered EVs outside China reached 463,000 units, reflecting a 16.4 percent year-on-year increase, according to SNE Research.

The report highlighted that the Korean auto giant’s flagship electric SUVs — the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 — led the group’s EV sales recovery, following a 2.7 percent decline in the previous year.

Additionally, the report noted that Hyundai Motor Group continues to strengthen its position in North America, delivering more EVs than local brands such as Ford, GM and Stellantis in January.

The group has expanded its presence in the US, increasing Hyundai Motor’s EV sales by 3 percent to 74,660 vehicles and Kia’s by 56.3 percent to 74,003 vehicles in 2024. This growth made the Korean carmaker the second-largest EV brand in the US after Tesla.

By Lim Jae-seong (forestjs@heraldcorp.com)