By Moses Akaigwe
Hyundai Motor Group has continued its incredible success at the World Car Awards, with the Kia EV9 named the 2024 World Car of the Year in a ceremony held at the New York International Auto Show.
The EV9 was also named 2024 World Electric Vehicle, while the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N was crowned the 2024 World Performance Car, reinforcing the Group’s global EV leadership and the technological excellence of its EV-dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).
These 2024 victories underscore Hyundai Motor Group’s success at the World Car Awards in recent years, with the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 both taking triple titles in 2022 and 2023 respectively in the World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle and World Car Design of the Year categories.
In 2023, the Kia EV6 GT was also named World Performance Car, and in 2020 the Kia Telluride won the overall World Car of the Year title while the Kia Soul EV was crowned World Urban Car.
This year, the World Car Awards recognised the Kia EV9’s innovative design, spacious seven-seat interior, and competitive price point. Based on the E-GMP architecture, the EV9 is the first Kia to feature fourth-generation battery technology for improved performance.
Commenting on the awards, Ho Sung Song, President and CEO at Kia, remarked: “We are hugely honoured that the 2024 EV9 has been named the World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle. This triumph is a testament to our unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology and design excellence. The Kia EV9’s continued success will drive us to keep delivering exceptional vehicles that redefine the driving experience for customers around the world.”
Continuing the IONIQ 5’s success and marking the fourth major victory for the IONIQ 5 lineup at the World Car Awards, the IONIQ 5 N’s World Performance Car title highlights Hyundai’s achievements in defining a new segment of driver-focused high-performance EVs through new technologies and elevated racetrack capability, signaling the first step in N’s electrification strategy. It combines the standard IONIQ 5’s Electric Global Modular Platform with N’s motorsport-bred technologies and leverages N’s expertise from electrified ‘Rolling Labs’ to maximize the EV’s high-performance capabilities.
Also commenting, Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said: “We are thrilled and honored to receive the prestigious World Performance Car award for our IONIQ 5 N. This recognition is a testament to Hyundai’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of electric performance and innovation. It is truly gratifying to see our efforts rewarded with a total of seven World Car Awards titles in the last three years. We are proud to continue our winning streak and solidify Hyundai’s position as a leader in the global EV industry.
The World Car Awards is an annual event that sees 100 international jurors across 29 counties drive and vote on a field of eligible vehicles. Taking 10 World Car Awards titles out of a possible 18 since 2022 (and nominated for a further five), Hyundai Motor Group’s recent performance underscores the technological excellence of Hyundai, Kia and Genesis electric vehicles underpinned by the E-GMP EV-dedicated architecture and the Group’s global EV leadership.
Chronology of Hyundai Motor Group World Car Awards victories:
2024: Kia EV9 – World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle
Hyundai IONIQ 5 N – World Performance Car
2023: Hyundai IONIQ 6 – World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle, World Car Design of the Year
Kia EV6 GT – World Performance Car
2022: Hyundai IONIQ 5 – World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle, World Car Design of the Year
2020: Kia Telluride – World Car of the Year
Kia Soul EV – World Urban Car
The Hyundai Motor Group is represented in Nigeria by Hyundai Motors Nigeria Ltd {Stallion Motors} for the Hyundai brand, and Kia Motors Nigeria for the Kia brand. Both own assembly plants where the vehicles are assembled for the local market.