Hyundai Motor slips to 5th in Greenpeace's 2022 auto environmental report

SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group has slipped by one notch to fifth place in Greenpeace's 2022 auto environmental guide that analyzed the decarbonization efforts by the top 10 global carmakers.

The annual report released Thursday by Greenpeace East Asia ranks the top 10 global automakers after assessing them in the four categories of phase-out of combustion engine vehicles, supply chain decarbonization, resource reduction and efficiency.

Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp., earned an overall score of 22.3 to land in fifth place following General Motors (38.5), Mercedes-Benz (37), Volkswagen (33.3) and Ford (23.5).

"Hyundai-Kia has fallen from 4th to 5th place in large part due to the company's lackluster combustion engine vehicle phase-out," the report said. "Hyundai-Kia's steel decarbonization plan received high marks, but its benefits were offset by an SUV-intensive business strategy, which drives steel consumption."

French carmaker Renault came in sixth with a score of 20.3, followed by Stellantis (19.3), Nissan (13.4), Honda (12.8) and Toyota (10).

"Toyota received the lowest score in the ranking for the second year in a row. Zero-emission vehicles comprised just 0.2 percent of Toyota's total sales in 2021, compared to eight percent for General Motors and nearly seven percent for Renault," the report said.

The organization urged automakers to adopt ambitious zero-emission vehicle transition strategies, saying, "The transition must be implemented alongside investment in battery recycling, decarbonization of the steel supply chain and a just transition for auto industry workers."

pbr@yna.co.kr
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