Hyundai Targets 3% Growth And Warns Of A Tough Year

Import duties, global tensions, and increasing competition: 2026 will be a tough year, according to Bloomberg and Hyundai CEO Euisun Chung. “This will be the year in which the crisis factors we long feared will become reality,” Chung reportedly said. Nevertheless, Hyundai itself is quite optimistic about 2026, according to a separate report from Reuters.

The parent company of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis is aiming for 7.51 million vehicles sold this year. That’s a good 3 percent increase compared to 2025, although it’s helped by the fact that Hyundai narrowly missed its 2025 sales target at the brand level. The brand sold ‘only’ 4.14 million cars, expected 4.17 million units, and is targeting a slightly more achievable 4.16 million cars with the Hyundai logo for 2026. Growth in 2026 will continue to come primarily from Kia.

In Korea, the biggest concerns seem to be related to import tariffs, which Hyundai and Kia are facing, partly due to their large presence in the US. It is therefore increasingly important that the Koreans supply locally produced cars there, such as the equally new and large Kia Telluride.

A significant portion of the investment budget in the coming period will be allocated to AI solutions, which Hyundai is actively experimenting with. For example, at the CES tech trade show in Las Vegas, the company is presenting two AI-driven robots called MobED. These are not cars, although they are, with their four wheels, lidars, and smart navigation, and Hyundai is undoubtedly learning a great deal from these autonomous vehicles.

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