Hyundai accounts for 74% of global hydrogen auto sales through September

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. sold a total of 4,917 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, accounting for 74 percent of the global hydrogen car market, to top global sales in the first nine months of the year.

Hyundai attributes its robust performance to the rising demand for the Nexo hydrogen model.

Hyundai began selling the Nexo locally in March 2018 to take the leadership position in hydrogen mobility technology.

This year, Hyundai eyes selling 10,100 Nexos in Korea, mainly to companies and public organizations, more than doubling the 4,194 units it sold last year.

From January to November, Hyundai sold 5,453 units of Nexo locally, achieving 54 percent of its annual target. It also exported 6,318 Nexos during the same period.

The second placer was Toyota Motors Corp., with a share of 11.5 percent, or 767 vehicles, while Honda Motor Co. came in third with a 2.8 percent share, or 187 units.

Hyundai also plans to develop more hydrogen commercial vehicles, such as buses and trucks, to fortify its leading position in hydrogen vehicles.

The company is set to build a production facility capable of manufacturing 50,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles annually by 2030 while selling 200,000 hydrogen fuel cell systems a year in global markets.