Hyundai further reduces CO2 emissions
and is named as one of the industry’s eco-leaders

Offenbach, October 7th 2009

New independent reports show that Hyundai has made further significant advances in reducing CO2 emissions from its vehicles, and has achieved a rate of progress more than double that of the industry average.

The reports illustrate that Hyundai is well on the way to meeting the EU target of 130g/km fleet-average CO2 emissions by 2015.

This month the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) published its study analyzing the improvements made by major car manufacturers in cutting CO2 emissions in Europe between 2007 and 2008. Hyundai ranks third highest in the report with a reduction of 7.6% during the period – from 161g/km down to 149g/km. According to T&E, the average improvement for all manufacturers in the survey was only 3.3%.

In a separate report, JATO Dynamics this month revealed that the CO2 emissions from Hyundai vehicles sold in Europe during the first half of 2009 were 12.8% lower than was the case during the same period in 2008. The average reduction for the 25 carmakers included in the study was just 6.2%. JATO found that the new Hyundai vehicles sold this year emit an average of 138.8g/km of CO2, down from 151.6g/km.

Allan Rushforth, Vice President at Hyundai Motor Europe, commented on the findings. “We have previously stated our ambition to be the world’s leader in eco-friendly automotive technology, and these results demonstrate that we are well on the way to achieving our goal,” he said.

“Hyundai has made rapid progress in developing class-leading powertrains, including super-clean diesels and even our own highly efficient six-speed automatic transmission. These technologies have contributed to savings in emissions, fuel consumption and running costs – all to the benefit of our customers across Europe.”

At this month’s Frankfurt Motor Show Hyundai exhibited a number of production vehicles and concept cars under its Blue DriveTM banner.

“Blue Drive has already brought us a number of world ‘firsts’, such as the first-ever hybrid powertrain incorporating a lithium ion polymer battery. We will soon see more innovations which will further limit the environmental impact of Hyundai cars. Our engineers are working on a wide range of next-generation solutions, from hydrogen fuel cells to fully electric vehicles,” concluded Rushforth.