📊 Hyundai Motor, Revenue Slips for the First Time in 6 Years as Hybrids Hold the Line - 2026.11.01

Hey~ It's Carrot 🥕 I brought charts and numbers again today. Hyundai Motor's story is a little puzzling. Sales are wobbling, but hybrids have helped hold things up. There's a lot you can miss by looking at just one number, so let's unpack the whole picture 📊

First, the third-quarter numbers

Hyundai Motor's third-quarter revenue came to 45,000,000,000,000 KRW, down 3.4% from the same period last year ^[6]. It's reportedly the first time quarterly revenue has fallen year over year in 6 years, since COVID-19. Wow, that's seriously heavy. Reports also said that sales and revenue fell over the same period because of production disruptions at domestic plants ^[1]. Kia, by contrast, reportedly grew its sales and results by leaning on eco-friendly vehicles ^[1]. So even within the same group, the picture was different. In one line, you could sum it up as “Hyundai Motor was held back by production issues, while eco-friendly vehicles supported Kia.” But the articles don't explain the scale or duration of the production disruptions in detail, so going further would just mean letting our imaginations run wild.

Where hybrids held the line

Still, the reason Hyundai Motor is being credited with “holding up well” is hybrids ^[1]. It's an interesting twist: hybrids helped provide a floor in a quarter when global auto demand was weak. Kind of like the bullpen keeping things together on a day when the starting pitcher falls apart. There was also news from India of a record monthly sales figure for the first time ^[2]. Autocar Professional and other outlets reportedly said that a strategic model personally signed off on by Chairman Euisun Chung at a visit to a new local plant had racked up explosive sales ^[2]. That said, this is a report relayed from local media, so how it will show up in the parent company's results remains an open question.

China, and the race to join the robotaxi lineup

We can't leave out the China-car story, either. Bloomberg reported that BYD is growing rapidly in the Korean market by emphasizing its pricing and technology, posing a threat to Hyundai Motor and Kia ^[4]. Hyundai Motor and Kia's combined share of the Chinese market reportedly once topped 10%, but later fell to 0.6% ^[4]. That's a huge gap—I had to look twice. Meanwhile, there's also news that Toyota has joined Hyundai Motor in Waymo's robotaxi supply chain ^[3]. The story is that the supply chain, previously centered on Jaguar, is expanding. But the articles alone don't tell us whether the addition of another supplier means a smaller or larger share for Hyundai Motor.

The chart's position

A quick word on the chart, too. The closing price on October 22 was ₩300,500, while the October 30 close was ₩278,500,, down 4.62%. The low on October 30 was ₩276,000, making that the recent low. This range really looks like the bottom of a trading range, but Carrot is treating it as a conditional level only. No all-in buying, no all-in selling—act only if support breaks. That's my one-line takeaway today 🎯

Questions still open

There's also an IT Chosun report saying Hyundai Motor ranked first in a European eco-friendly vehicle assessment, ahead of Tesla and BYD ^[5]. Since this is a claim relayed from the report, it shouldn't be treated as a fact confirmed by the company. The next question is how hybrids holding the line, a steep drop in China's market share, and Toyota joining the supply chain will all fit together. 🤔 Isn't it interesting?

📰 Reference News (5)

1

Hybrids Support Results... Hyundai Motor 'Holds Up Well,' Kia 'Grows'

네이버뉴스 · 2026.11.01

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2

‘That Car’ Personally Signed Off on by Euisun Chung Takes Off⋯ Hyundai Motor India Sets First-Ever ‘80,000 Units a Month’ Record

네이버뉴스 · 2026.11.01

📰 View original

4

Who Would Buy It? “Over 20,000 Sold in Korea” Chinese Cars on a Tear… How Are Hyundai Motor and Kia Doing in China?

네이버뉴스 · 2026.10.31

📰 View original

📺 Reference Videos (1)

6

YouTube

Hyundai Motor Revenue 'Reverses' for the First Time in 6 Years… K-Auto in Crisis / Yonhap News TV (YonhapnewsTV)

▶연합뉴스TV·2026.10.31