Hyundai commits to fulfilling electrification strategy despite hybrid appeal

Hyundai is committing to fulfilling its electrification strategy, refusing to divest and putting effort toward other, potentially more in-demand powertrains as it continues to find its footing in the world of electric vehicles.

It is getting to the point where consumers are more prone to hybrid powertrains because they worry about the dependability, growth, and availability of the EV charging infrastructure.

This has put pressure on both pure and partial EV manufacturers. Companies that only build EVs, like Tesla, and companies that mix both, like Ford, are still working out ways to navigate this strange time in the EV story.

While some companies have chosen to put more focus on hybrids due to consumer demand, which is not totally far-fetched considering they need to cater to what customers want, others are drawing a line in the sand and sticking with a more aggressive EV sales strategy.

Hyundai is one of these companies.

In a recent interview with The Verge, Randy Parker, Hyundai Motor America’s CEO, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to electric vehicles as it narrows in on its long-term strategy for the transition to electrification.

Doubling Down

Parker is committed to making Hyundai a driving force in the EV sector. With robust competition from industry leaders like Tesla setting the pace, there are many other companies fighting to claim what is likely second place. Pure EV makers like Rivian and Lucid are still attempting to bolster their business by working toward profitability.

Meanwhile, large automakers that have been producing gas-powered cars for decades are keeping their EV businesses afloat by using profits from ICE sales to keep electrification efforts going. They’re even revising investment strategies and pulling back EV efforts in favor of hybrids.

Hyundai is not one of those companies, Parker said:

“While other manufacturers are pulling back on their electrification strategy, we continue to be focused on our products. And our products have done extremely well in the marketplace.”

Of course, companies have to shift strategies because of how their balance sheets look. Parker said that the U.S. market is encouraging and that Hyundai is “doing okay in the United States.”

The Priority is Affordability

Along with making highly competitive electric vehicles, they need to be at a price point where consumers can justify the purchase.

Hyundai is going a step further by ensuring that the ownership experience and driving an EV are also affordable.

Parker said the company’s priority is keeping the EV driving experience affordable.

“We’re trying to make driving an EV affordable, but at the same time removing some of those objections when it comes to range and charging.”

Additionally, some concerns have been raised by those who adopted Tesla’s NACS last year and are due to gain access to the widespread Supercharger Network this year. After Tesla offloaded some of its Supercharger team as a part of its layoff strategy, CEO Elon Musk said the automaker would focus on keeping uptime as high as possible and would work to expand already-built locations.

None of this has Parker concerned. He said Hyundai still plans to work with Tesla on using its Supercharger Network, and he has no reason to believe any other way:

“I haven’t been given any reason to doubt our strategy moving forward.”

Hyundai already has a strong business that ranked third in the world behind only Toyota and Volkswagen. Hedging that strength into its EV side is all it needs to do, and it’s on the right path, considering it is going all-in on EVs.

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