This file photo provided by Genesis shows the front design of the G90 sedan.
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Co., has decided to halt new internal combustion engine models from 2025 amid a precipitous drop in the share of its diesel models in the domestic market.
According to industry sources, Genesis saw its cumulative domestic sales reach 119,839 units in the January to November period of this year.
Of the total, diesel cars accounted for 5,944 or 5 percent. After peaking at 14.1 percent in 2020, the share of diesel cars among Genesis’s domestic sales has been on a downward trend, falling to 9.6 percent last year.
Genesis halted the production of the diesel-powered G70 and G80 sedans in the latter half of last year, with sales of its diesel sedans slipping to a mere 32 units in the first eleven months of this year.
There is no diesel model of the G90 flagship sedan.
Even among SUVs, domestic sales of the GV80 diesel slid to 4,603 units in the first eleven months of this year from 5,701 units last year and 14,150 units in 2020.
Sales of the GV70 diesel also declined sharply to 1,309 units in the first eleven months of this year from 5,776 units last year.
According to Carisyou Data Lab, the share of diesel cars in the number of newly registered passenger and commercial vehicles in South Korea stood at 20.8 percent in the first eleven months of this year, lower than the combined share of EVs and hybrid cars, which was estimated at 22.7 percent.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
