"Finding customers is the biggest challenge": Hyundai executive admits to Nexo's sluggish overseas sales

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Hyundai Motor effectively acknowledged the sluggish overseas sales of its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Nexo. While domestic sales have increased, the company stated that finding customers willing to buy the car abroad remains a challenge.

Citing Australian automotive media CarExpert on the 2nd (local time), reports indicated remarks by Scott Nagar, Senior Manager for Future Mobility and Government Relations at Hyundai Motor Australia. Nagar said, "The biggest challenge is finding customers." However, he added that hydrogen cars in the passenger vehicle segment are "not over."

Australian automotive specialty media cited a lack of charging stations and high prices as reasons why hydrogen vehicles have not spread. Analysis suggests that they are more expensive than comparable internal combustion engine and electric vehicles, and since electric vehicle prices have dropped significantly compared to 10 years ago, the incentive to choose hydrogen cars has decreased. The outlet assessed that Hyundai's hydrogen passenger car business has largely remained at the stage of small-scale demonstration operations.

The situation in the Australian market also supports this. Local media EV Central reported in 2024 that sales of the Nexo and Mirai in Australia over the past two years had been few enough to count on one's fingers, with the Nexo operating at a level of only dozens of government vehicles. The Nexo has been supplied in Australia through special leasing without general consumer sales. In an interview at the time, Manager Nagar also stated that the Nexo's performance was limited by the lack of charging infrastructure.

The sluggish overseas performance is confirmed by figures as well. According to market research firm SNE Research, global hydrogen vehicle sales in the first quarter of this year were 2,602 units, a 20.6% increase from the same period last year, with Hyundai accounting for 1,752 units and a 67.3% market share. However, the majority of sales came from South Korea (1,742 units), while combined sales in the United States and Europe fell short of 100 units. During the same period, Toyota sold 174 units combining the Mirai and Crown, and Honda's CR-V e:FCEV sold 49 units.

The domestic situation is different. The second-generation Nexo was introduced as a global model when it was unveiled in 2025, with a driving range of approximately 435 miles (about 700 km) on a single charge. This car sold 2,815 units domestically in the first half of this year, a 288% increase from the same period last year, and Hyundai's cumulative domestic hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sales surpassed 50,000 units by the end of September. While sales have increased domestically where subsidies apply, an official from a Hyundai overseas subsidiary directly mentioned that securing demand remains a challenge abroad.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original