Scored evidence collected on an entity's engagement with land-use and circular economy policy will now be fully weighted into the final calculations for each entity's metrics. This follows a two year process where InfluenceMap has evolved its methodology to collect evidence on corporate and industry engagement with these key areas of climate-related policy.
We have strengthened the algorithm for discounting the impact older evidence on an organization's top-line metrics. Evidence from within the last two years is weighted the strongest and then gradually weighted out of the scoring calculations as it gets older. All evidence that is 5 years or older is completely removed from the scoring calculations. Users will still be able to view older evidence items that are archived the scoring matrix below, but these will not be impacting the organization's current scores.
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Hyundai Motor Group has both positive and negative engagement globally in 2022-24. While Hyundai Motor has stated support for the goals of the Paris Agreement, it has negative engagement with numerous key regulations to decarbonize road transport in the US and EU, with evidence of more positive engagement in Australia in 2024. It displays comparatively less active engagement in its headquartered country, South Korea.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: In its 2022 Sustainability Report, published in 2023, Hyundai Motor supported a 1.5°C GHG emissions reduction target and Korea’s carbon neutrality 2050 target. In the same report, Hyundai also supported the goals of the Paris Agreement. Hyundai Motor supported Australia's 2050 climate neutrality target in an October 2022 consultation response, found via FOI request. Hyundai Motor Group’s Chair, Chung Eui-sun, also advocated for government regulation to respond to climate change in a November 2022 press release.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Hyundai Motor has mostly negative positions on climate-related road transport regulations globally. In the US, July 2023 regulatory comments from Hyundai Motor and subsidiaries Kia and Hyundai Technical Centre advocated to weaken proposed 2027+ US GHG emissions standards for light and medium-duty vehicles, and for flexibilities such as off-cycle credits that would weaken the rule. In an October 2023 regulatory comments from Hyundai Motor and subsidiaries Kia and Hyundai Technical Centre advocated to significantly weaken proposed US 2027-32 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.
In Australia, the company supported fuel efficiency standards with minor exceptions, advocating for a modest multiplier for electric vehicles and greater charging incentives in a March 2024 consultation response. In an October 2022 consultation response Hyundai Motor appeared to advocate for the introduction of low stringency light-duty CO2 standards. The company conditioned its support for CO2 standards on numerous factors, advocating for multiple flexibilities that would weaken the standard’s stringency. In the same consultation response, Hyundai appeared to oppose Australian CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles. However, more positively, in February 2024, ABC News reported that Hyundai Motor and its subsidiary Kia supported the Australian government's proposed fuel efficiency (CO2) standards.
In the EU, a February 2022 Hyundai Motor Europe Twitter post advocated delaying setting a zero-emissions EU 2035 CO2 reduction target for cars and vans until 2028.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Hyundai Motor appears to take both negative and positive positions on electrifying road transport while promoting a longer-term role for ICE-powered vehicles. According to an August 2022 Automotive News article, Hyundai Motor did not support the EU's 2035 ICE phase-out date for light-duty vehicles.. Similarly, according to a May 2022 Meconomy report, Hyundai Motor advocated for the continuous use of high GHG emissions vehicles until 2040 in Korea. In a May 2023 UK consultation response found via FOI request, Hyundai subsidiary, Kia, appeared to take an unclear position on the UK's ZEV mandate car trajectory, while supporting the van trajectory. It advocated for greater flexibilities in the early years of implementation that will likely weaken the policy's stringency. More positively, Automotive News reported in September 2023 a Kia statement that it was "disappointed" with the UK government delaying its initial ICE phase-out date from 2030 to 2035. In the US, in a May 2022 consultation response, Hyundai Motor appeared to support California's proposed Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, which includes a 100% zero-emission vehicle mandate in 2035, while advocating for minor flexibilities.
In its October 2022 Australian consultation submission, Hyundai Motor generally supported incentives to promote EVs and increased EV charging infrastructure in Australia. According to a June 2022 Which Car article, Kia supported a 50% non-ICE vehicle 2030 target in Australia. In January 2023, the Korea Economic Daily noted that Hyundai Motor’s CEO, Chang Jae-Hoon, supported expanding electric vehicles in Southeast Asia.
Furthermore, Hyundai Motor supports expanding green hydrogen, as indicated by its March 2022 Carbon Neutrality Whitepaper. The company further disclosed it has advocated for policy, infrastructure and investments to promote green hydrogen in its 2022 Sustainability Report, published in 2023. In a February 2023 press release, Hyundai appeared to also support incentive policies for clean energy, like hydrogen, in the US bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. However, in a May 2023 joint letter to policymakers, it advocated against including additionality criteria for Inflation Reduction Act clean hydrogen production credits. In the EU, in an April 2022 open letter, Hyundai Motor advocated for higher ambition for hydrogen infrastructure in the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation.
Industry Association Governance: Hyundai Motor disclosed membership of a limited number of trade associations through its 2022 Sustainability Report, without disclosing memberships of some key groups, including the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), Business Europe, and the US-based Alliance for Automotive Innovation, where a senior executive is vice chair. Hyundai has also not disclosed its board position on the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which has negative engagement with Australian climate policy. The company has not published an audit of its industry association memberships.