Over the holidays, reports surfaced from a couple of Korean news outlets that auto giant Hyundai is done developing internal combustion engines. What’s more, these stories alleged that Hyundai is shutting down its related R&D facilities, eliminating any chance of new gas or diesel Hyundai power plants in the future. However, as a spokesperson for the automaker told Motor1 and, later, us at The Drive, these reports are false.
“Hyundai Motor Group can confirm that it is not halting the development of its engines following recent media speculation,” a Hyundai representative confirmed. “The Group is dedicated to providing a strong portfolio of powertrains to global customers, which includes a combination of highly efficient engines and zero-emissions electric motors.”
Therefore, unless Hyundai is playing mind games, don’t expect this current crop of internally combusted Hyundai, Genesis, and, of course, Kia engines to be the pinnacle of what the Koreans can do with gas.
In case you haven’t heard, the planet is heating up and, to help curb or at least delay our collective destruction, many countries have pledged to outlaw the sale of internal combustion cars. Most have deadlines set within the next couple of decades, and 2035 is the most commonly held date. The United Kingdom is on board, Japan is on board, Canada is on board, and, as of last month, the Biden administration is also on board. With that in mind, internal combustion engine development (as it pertains to consumer-grade passenger vehicles, at least, by Hyundai and otherwise) will end sometime in the near future. Just not right now.
Hyundai, for the record, has been a bit of a frontrunner when it comes to so-called “legacy” automakers that are working to electrify its lineup. The company currently sells the Kona Electric, hybrid versions of its key Tucson, Santa Fe, Elantra, and Sonata models, and the new and fantastic Ioniq 5 EV. The latter also shares a platform with the upcoming Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60.
Despite all of that, though, it sounds like we’ll have a few more years of delightfully burbly, gas-powered N cars to enjoy after all.
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