South Korean media: Hyundai and Kia will not participate in the Shanghai Auto Show and focus on the US market!

On April 2, South Korean media News1 published an article stating that Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation will not participate in the Shanghai Auto Show to be held in Shanghai this month. It is analyzed that this is a strategic decision to focus on the United States rather than the sluggish Chinese market.

According to industry insiders, Hyundai Motor Group has decided not to participate in the Shanghai Auto Show from April 23 to May 2. This is the first time that Hyundai Motor and Kia have skipped the Chinese auto show since they entered China in 2002.

The Shanghai Auto Show, along with the Beijing Auto Show, is known as one of China's two major auto shows. In the past, Hyundai Motor Group has set up large booths to participate in the Chinese auto shows.

Industry insiders said that Hyundai Motor Group's absence from the exhibition is due to adopting a flexible strategy in response to changes in the US and Chinese markets. Recently, Hyundai Motor Group has been hosting its own global new vehicle launch events.

Hyundai Motor held the unveiling ceremony for its large electric SUV "IONIQ 9" in Los Angeles last September. Kia held the "2025 Kia EV Day" in Tarragona, Spain this year and unveiled the electric sedan "EV4", the dedicated vehicle (PBV) "PV5", and the strategic small SUV "EV2 Concept".

The decline in sales in the Chinese market also seems to have had an impact. According to data from the Korea Automobile Mobility Industry Association, Hyundai Motor Group's market share in China last year was 1.6% (sales volume of 431,215 units). This number has dropped significantly compared to 4.6% (1,011,146 units) in 2019.

There are also analyses suggesting that this is an action focused on the US market. Hyundai Motor Group has set historical best sales records in the US market for two consecutive years. Last year, sales in the US reached 1,708,293 units, an increase of 3.4% over the previous year (1,652,821 units). After launching IONIQ 9 last year, Hyundai Motor participated in the Los Angeles Auto Show, showing the different attitudes of Hyundai Motor Group towards the US and Chinese markets.

Due to recent pressure from former US President Donald Trump on car tariffs, the importance of production in the US is increasing, and it is expected that Hyundai Motor Group's investment in the US will increase.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828257439972364/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.