SEOUL, KOREA- A paradigm of the automobile industry is changing, said Yang Woong-Chul, vice chairman of R&D at Hyundai Motor Group. Hyundai Motor displayed a variety of eco-friendly cars, including electric cars and plug-in hybrid cars, at the Frankfurt Motor Show that opened on September 10.
Yang stressed that the automobile industry is now entering a stage of paradigm shift with its main trend changing from existing internal combustion vehicles toward eco-friendly cars that do not emit carbon dioxide gases.
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have prepared well for the advent of the eco-friendly car era. Starting from Kia Motors which will release the Soul EV in April 2014, the group plans to gear up fully to take a leading role in competition to develop eco-friendly vehicle models.
Hyundai Motor also announced a plan to release 22 new models by 2017, aimed at increasing its market share in Europe up to 5 percent.