Sales of the Nexo Increase Sharply
Hyundai Motor Co. topped the global hydrogen car sales list in the January-September period of 2020.
Hyundai Motor sold 4,917 hydrogen cars, accounting for 73.8 percent of the 6,664 units sold worldwide during the period, said market research company SNE Research on De. 14. Hyundai Motor saw its sales rise 61.3 percent on year on the back of the popularity of the Nexo.
Toyota came in second with an 11.5 percent market share (767 units), while Honda placed third with 2.8 percent (187 units). Toyota and Honda saw their sales drop 61.8 percent and 27.2 percent, respectively, from 2019.
Global sales of hydrogen cars fell 3.2 percent compared to the same period of 2019, SNE Research said. The drop was attributed to the aging of Toyota's first-generation Mirai and the Honda Clarity model.
The Mirai, in particular, saw its sales plummet as its plant in the United States, the largest market, was shut down due to the spread of the new coronavirus. However, SNE Research added that a second-generation model of Toyota's Mirai released in December 2020 will hit the U.S. market in early 2021.
In the third quarter of 2020 alone, global sales of hydrogen cars reached 2,594 units, up 27.2 percent from a year earlier. Hyundai Motor led the hydrogen car market by selling 2,036 vehicles, up 65.8 percent from 2019, while Chinese automakers such as Geely Motor also enjoyed remarkable growth. China's Wolong Motor and Golden Dragon chalked up sharp growth in sales of hydrogen trucks and hydrogen buses in China.