Hyundai Motor Co, one of the world’s most successful car manufacturers, last month announced plans to start selling their very first battery-powered electrical vehicle in 2016.

The South Korean manufacturer of fuel-cell cars is hedging its bets in innovative green technology and is moving towards engines which turn hydrogen into electricity as a response to growing regulations in foreign markets, including the United States, pertaining to car emissions. Kia Motors Corp meanwhile – a development and research partner of Hyundai – is currently concentrating on rechargeable batteries.

Speaking to reporters at the Korean launch of the Soul EV, Lee Ki-sang, Senior Vice President of Hyundai, said:

“There is no clear direction about which eco-friendly cars will win. We are dividing roles of Hyundai and Kia, with Hyundai launching fuel cell cars and Kia focusing on electric cars. But the time will come when Kia will introduce a fuel-cell car. Hyundai is also preparing to launch a (battery-powered) electric car in 2016.”

Preston-based vehicle leasing company UK Carline regularly reacts to relevant industry news and research. A spokesperson for the company believes that a move towards greener technologies is great news:

“It’s fantastic to hear that Hyundai and Kia, two of the world’s most popular car manufacturers, are taking seriously environmental issues and working hard to address them with the creation of electric cars and green technologies.

“As governments around the world introduce stricter regulations on emissions we’re seeing more and more vehicle manufacturers embracing a more innovative and environmentally-friendly approach to car creation, and that’s excellent news for us too because we’re big believers in said technology and many of our customers love the idea of driving an electric car.”

UK Carline stocks a number of Hyundai and Kia models already and they say that they’re looking forwards to the release of an electric Hyundai car in 2016.

“Hyundai and Kia cars have always been popular amongst our customers and we’re very excited that they have an electric car in the pipeline. We look forward to stocking it when it’s released and we’re confident that it will be a great success in the British market.”

Hyundai have recently made a push into foreign markets, delivering a commercial at the 2014 NFL Superbowl – arguably the world’s most popular domestic sports event – and sponsoring the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup™.

UK Carline is a Lancashire-based provider of competitively priced business, personal, maintained and commercial leasing solutions in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1998 and is recognised throughout the industry as being one of the best contract hire specialists in the country. Visit the UK Carline website at www.ukcarline.com for more information.

For quotes contact Martin at UK Carline on 01995 641111 or info@ukcarline.com