Hyundai will produce plug-in hybrids and fuel-cells, while Kia will only produce EVs

Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid

In a pretty interesting move, Hyundai said that it will no longer focus on developing or production electric-vehicles. Instead, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group said that the Kia brand will focus on electric-cars, while Hyundai will work on developing plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

The announcement was made by Yang Woong-chul, the group’s vice president, at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Under the new plan, Kia will produce the group’s first high-speed electric-vehicles under the TAM project name. Those vehicles are scheduled to hit the market by the end of the year. Korea’s first electric vehicle, BlueOn, developed by the group’s research institute in 2010, will be also be rolled out as a Kia brand later in 2011.

Hyundai said that it has the technological know-how in producing fuel-cell vehicles. The company had two ix35 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in Denmark in May on a trial basis.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Chosun