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Hyundai Motor chief attends Beijing auto show for first time in eight years, signaling market's importance

Published: 29 Apr. 2026, 21:17

Hyundai Motor Chair Euisun Chung, second from right, shakes hands with CATL Chairman Robin Zeng Yuqun, far left, during a business forum held in Beijing, in this file photo from Jan. 5. [YONHAP]

Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Euisun Chung attended Auto China 2026 in Beijing, industry sources said Wednesday, as the automaker steps up efforts to regain its foothold in the world's largest vehicle market.

This marked Chun's first appearance at the Beijing auto show since the 2018 edition, and his second consecutive visit to a Chinese auto show following the Shanghai Auto Show in 2025.

Chung's attendance at the world's largest auto event is seen as signaling a renewed focus on China after years of declining market share for Korean automakers.

During this year's show, Hyundai unveiled its first all-electric Ioniq model tailored for the Chinese market and pledged to step up efforts to expand its presence in the region.

Hyundai Motor, whose sales in China reached 1.14 million units in 2016, has suffered from slumping sales since 2017 over a diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a U.S. antimissile system on Korean soil.

Hyundai Motor once operated six plants in China but now runs just three — two in Beijing and one in Sichuan — after shutting down or selling the other three in the face of sluggish sales.

Yonhap