• World´s first LPI hybrid, first to use advanced Lithium–Polymer batteries
• Operation costs poised to be lowest of any hybrid in the market
• "Hybrid premium" cost can be recouped in two years through fuel savings
• Emits just 103g/km of CO₂ and 90% fewer pollutants to qualify as Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle
• Initial sales restricted to Korea

(Seoul, Korea) Hyundai Motor Company plans to start retail sales of its first LPG–electric hybrid vehicle in July 2009. To be sold initially in the Korean domestic market under the Avante badge, the Elantra LPI Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is the world´s first hybrid vehicle to be powered by liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and the first to adopt advanced Lithium Polymer (Li–Poly) batteries.

Powered by a Liquefied Petroleum Injected (LPI) Gamma engine displacing 1.6 litres, a 15kW electric motor and a continuously variable transmission, the Elantra LPI HEV is a mild–type hybrid capable of delivering a competitive fuel economy rating.

"The Elantra LPI HEV demonstrates Hyundai´s innovative approach: We have leveraged Hyundai´s world leadership in LPG–fueled vehicles to develop a hybrid that will be very economical to operate," said Dr. Hyun–Soon Lee, president of the Research and Development Division.

Comparing operating costs among different types of hybrid vehicles currently available in the marketplace, the Elantra LPI HEV promises to be the cheapest of all to run. The Elantra LPI HEV promises to be as much as 40 percent cheaper to operate than other competitor models in the marketplace and 50 percent less than a conventional Elantra model powered by a gasoline–only engine. (Calculations are based on Korean domestic retail price of 1,907.08 KRW per liter of gasoline and LPG price of 1,828.65 KRW per kilogram as of the first week of June).

The Elantra LPI HEV will have a premium cost compared to a conventional Elantra due to the extra hardware (Li–Poly battery, DC motor and electrical control system). However, with the resulting fuel savings, Elantra LPI HEV buyers can expect to recover the extra cost of the vehicle in about two years.

In addition, the Elantra LPI HEV emits just 103g/km of CO₂ and 90 percent fewer emissions than an equivalent standard gasoline–powered Elantra to qualify as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV).

The Elantra LPI HEV will be the first car in the world to use lithium polymer rechargeable batteries, which will be supplied solely by LG Chem*, one of the leading producers of the batteries. Li–poly batteries have significant advantages over lithium–ion batteries including higher energy density, lower manufacturing costs, being more robust to physical damage and they can also take more charge–discharge cycles before storage capacity begins to degrade.

Hyundai developed its very first hybrid electric vehicle in 1995 when it unveiled the Future Green Vehicle at the Seoul Motor Show. In 1999, it showed an Elantra HEV and in 2000, an Accent HEV, both of which featured hard–type parallel electric drive systems and integrated Starter Generator technology. However, these research development vehicles did not go into mass production.

In 2004, the company delivered 50 Getz gas–electric hybrid vehicles (B–segment vehicles badged as Hyundai Click in the Korean domestic market) to Korean government agencies as part of a fleet demonstration project. These were mild–type hybrid systems using 12kW motors and nickel metal hydride batteries. The hybrid technology development program continued to expand and in 2005, Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. delivered 350 more units to the demonstration fleet, 730 more units in 2006 and 1,682 more units in 2007, including Accent HEVs.

Current plants call for expanding the hybrid vehicle line–up to include mid–sized sedans in 2010.

Initial sales of the Elantra LPI HEV are to be restricted to the Korean domestic market. However, the LPI Hybrid could be exported to markets which are served by an excellent LPG distribution infrastructure.

As the Elantra LPI HEV remains under development, more detailed technical specifications will be released closer to the July 2009 launch date.

* About LG Chem

LG Chem, the world´s fourth–largest rechargeable battery producer, was established in 1947 as the first chemical company in Korea.

LG Chem is a global chemical company that employs more than 140,000 employees working in the areas of petrochemicals, industrial materials, and information and electronic materials, generating annual revenues in the range of KRW 8 trillion through worldwide operations.

• Rapid climb from 11th in 1999 global rankings to 5th place in 2007

(Seoul, Korea) With global sales of 3,961,629 units in 2007 the Hyundai–Kia Automotive Group has emerged as the world´s fifth largest automaker moving up from sixth place in 2006, according to Automotive News´ 2008 Global Market Data Book published yesterday.

"It´s a proud day for every member of the Group past and present who has contributed to this amazing achievement. While quantitative growth has been an important objective in the past, our efforts are now focused on qualitative growth in terms of continuous improvement in corporate social responsibility, profitability, technological innovation and brand power. And we have the momentum to keep on growing," said Hyundai Motor Co. CEO and Vice Chairman Kim Dong–Jin on the occasion of the Group´s joining the global top five.

The Group has seen remarkable growth in the four decades since Hyundai Motor Co. was founded. It ranked as the world´s eleventh largest automaker in 1999, the year Hyundai–Kia Chairman Chung Mong–Koo took over the helm as the CEO. Since then, under Chairman Chung´s leadership, it has moved steadily up the rankings ladder, accelerating its push to globalize operations by building new manufacturing plants in the United States, China, India, Slovakia, Czech and Russia.

Counting the export sales of 185,114 complete knock–down kits which are assembled by overseas partners, the Group´s 2007 global sales reached 4,146,743 units. Automotive News’ methodology excludes CKD sales.

2007 Global Sales Rankings

1.Toyota Motor Corp.                                | 9,366,000
2. General Motors                                    | 8,902,252
3. Volkswagen AG                                   | 6,191,618
4. Ford Motor Co.                                     | 5,964,000
5. Hyundai–Kia Automotive Group       | 3,961,629
6. Honda Motor Co. Ltd.                         | 3,831,000
7. Nissan Motor Co.                                | 3,675,574
8. PSA/Peugeot–Citroen SA                  | 3,428,400
9. Chrysler LLC                                        | 2,676,268
10. Fiat S.p.A.                                            | 2,620,864

• Hyundai signs agreement to supply the city buses to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the country´s capital
• Contract calls for 7,748 eco-friendly buses to be supplied by 2018
• Mild-hybrid buses are 10-15% more fuel-efficient than normal buses
• Full-hybrid buses to arrive in 2011 and zero-emissions Fuel Cell Electric Buses by 2013

(Seoul, Korea) Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea´s largest automaker, agreed to supply the Seoul Metropolitan Government with environmentally–friendly buses, opening a new era of clean commercial vehicles on the streets of Korea.

Han-Young Choi, President of Hyundai Motor´s Commercial Vehicle Division, signed the agreement on June 9 at City Hall with Se-hoon Oh, the Seoul Mayor, to supply the city with 7,748 eco-friendly buses by 2018.

By securing the sale, Hyundai Motor will now be able to actively invest in the development and commercialization of low-polluting technology. Hyundai will begin supplying the city with mild-hybrid buses this year, then supply full-hybrid system buses from 2011 and fuel-cell electric buses ?which have zero pollution– starting from 2013.

A bus with a mild–hybrid system is one where the hybrid system is only partially applied. It works the same way as a full–hybrid system in that its engine automatically shuts off when the bus comes to a full stop, cutting back on the use of fuel. However, the mild system is just one–fifth the cost of a full–hybrid system.

The biggest difference between a mild–hybrid system and a full–hybrid system is that when a full–hybrid system comes to a stop, it transforms the heat created from the brakes into electricity and uses it as kinetic energy when accelerating. A mild–hybrid system uses this energy in its motor to cool the engine.

Furthermore, a mild-hybrid system bus has a 10-15 percent better fuel efficiency than a conventionally powered diesel or CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) bus. It also contributes to cleaner air by cutting CO₂ emissions by 21 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 89 percent, compared with a diesel bus.

Hyundai Motor on Monday delivered two mild–hybrid system buses to an operator through the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and will handover 12 more by the end of this month.

"I sincerely thank the Seoul Metropolitan Government for leading the way and giving full support to the distribution of environmentally–friendly cars, such as natural gas and mild–hybrid system buses," said President Choi. "Hyundai Motor will continue to do its best to supply cleaner cars to improve the atmosphere and fuel–efficiency."

Hyundai Motor completed the development of its mild–hybrid system, which is the company´s proprietary technology, in April. Since then, the buses have been undergoing fleet test operations with a number of local bus companies.

Hyundai Motor Company agreed on June 9, 2008 to supply the Seoul Metropolitan Government with eco–friendly buses. Han–Young Choi (second from left), President of Hyundai Motor´s Commercial Vehicle Division, signed the agreement at City Hall with Se-hoon Oh (center), the Seoul Mayor, to supply the city with 7,748 of these buses by 2018.

Hyundai Motor Company agreed on June 9, 2008 to supply the Seoul Metropolitan Government with eco–friendly buses. Se–hoon Oh, the Seoul Mayor, test–drives a bus with a mild-hybrid system after the signing ceremony.

Hyundai Motor Company´s mild-hybrid system bus.

• Hyundai Eurofest, held one day before the opening match of UEFA EURO 2008™, celebrated finale of Goodwill Ball Road Show
• Eurofest completed Hyundai Motor´s five-month long global marketing activities
• David Taylor, UEFA General Secretary, and Hanspeter Gass, member of the cantonal government of Basel, among VIP attendees
• Hyundai Eurofest reached climax with performances by Baschi, singer of the national UEFA EURO 2008™ anthem and German rock band Reamonn

(Basel, Switzerland) Hyundai Motor Company, the official automotive partner of Europe´s greatest sporting event, hosted Hyundai Eurofest on June 6 in Basel, where an estimated 30,000 people celebrated the spirit of football and prepared for the kick off of the UEFA EURO 2008™ games.

As one of the EUROTOP Partners for EURO 2008, Hyundai is continuing to be one of the most visible brands around football, the most popular sport in the world. Hyundai Motor, South Korea´s largest automaker, has been carrying out various global marketing programs since January to add to the excitement surrounding the games. The programs culminated in a grand finale Friday, where tens of thousands of football fans visited Hyundai´s pavilion in the Fan Zone in Kaserne.

David Taylor, UEFA General Secretary; Hanspeter Gass, member of the cantonal government of Basel; Kun-hee Ahn, President of Hyundai Motor Europe; and Jae-kook Choi, President of Hyundai Motor Company´s Sales & Planning, were among the VIPs that attended the official ceremony for the Eurofest.

"We love football. We love the excitement of the game," President Choi said during his welcome speech. "We share the strong passion of the European fans. EURO 2008 is a celebration of universal brotherhood. It brings people together in harmony and happiness, and that is the vision of Hyundai."

Goodwill Ball Road Show

The highlight of the Hyundai Eurofest was the finale of the Goodwill Ball Road Show. This is a Road Show that has been Hyundai´s flagship of the global football program since its first introduction at UEFA EURO 2000™. For the fifth time now, Hyundai has facilitated the passion and goodwill of many football fans in the world through the Hyundai Goodwill Balls. These are 4.5 meter-high giant inflatable balls decorated with national flags and the Hyundai/ UEFA EURO 2008™ logo. The 20 balls were shipped to their respective countries in March this year, where they embarked on nationwide tours collecting thousands of fans´ messages of good luck and support for their national teams and their wishes for a successful UEFA EURO 2008™.

All GWBs were gathered in Basel for the Eurofest, creating a splendid scene which attracted visitors to the GWB finale ceremony. The balls will be displayed on site of each stadium or Fan Zone for the respective team match during the tournament.

Winners & Prizes

Hyundai also selected and announced the winners for the other on-line and off-line activities, where prizes included the free trip to Basel for the Eurofest and free tickets to the opening match. The other programs were "Hyundai EURO FanTastic," an on-line program where football fans uploaded their pictures expressing their passion for UEFA EURO 2008™and their national team; "Hyundai Quest for the Best," where participants competed in five minutes freestyle and most touches in a given time with the aim to break the Guinness record; and "Be There with Hyundai," where the participants competed to create the best slogan for their team. The winning slogan will be decorated on the respective teams´ buses.

Baschi & Reamonn

The festivities reached its climax when the Swiss singer Baschi came on stage to sing his hit song, "Bring en hei," which has established itself as the Swiss football anthem. Fans were also dazzled with German rock band Reamonn, who gained international acclaim with their hit song "Supergirl."

Official Vehicles

As an EUROTOP Partner of UEFA EURO 2008™, Hyundai will provide vehicles for VIP delegates, teams, coaches and referees. A total of 265 passenger vehicles and vans along with coaches totalling 463 bus days will be supported by Hyundai throughout the tournament. Hyundai has already demonstrated itself to be a reliable and effective partner of UEFA having served as the official automotive supplier for the European Football Championship 2000 and 2004.

Hyundai is one of the strongest supporters of football in the world having served as the official sponsor of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea / Japan™ and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ as well as many other FIFA tournaments. The company has extended its strategic sponsorship agreement with FIFA to cover the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

Hyundai Motor Company has not only infused a new sense of fun and excitement into the game, but through its sponsorship of international football it has also achieved significant increases in brand awareness and improvements in the brand image. Football has helped Hyundai secure a firm foundation that will enable it to push its sports marketing strategy forward to gain a better foothold in markets where football reigns as the most popular sport, especially Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

St. Petersburg plant to be Hyundai´s gateway to CIS and Eastern Europe

• Hyundai will build a 100,000 units-a-year factory in St. Petersburg
• lant to be completed by Jan 2011, investment to reach 330 mln euros
• Plant will produce new, small to mid-size models for Russian market;
• raise corporate image through ´Made in Russia´ products

St. Petersburg, Russia) Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea´s largest automaker, began construction of its 100,000 units-a-year plant in St. Petersburg to establish a local production and sales base in Russia, which will be a stepping stone to expansion in the CIS and Eastern Europe.

Mr. Ilya Iosifovich Klebanov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Northwest Federal District of Russia; Ms. Valentina Matviyenko, governor of St. Petersburg; South Korea´s Ambassador to Russia and about 500 other Russian government officials, executives and employees of Hyundai Motor and its parts suppliers, as well as local dealers and media members attended the plant groundbreaking ceremony of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing RUS at Kamenka, St. Petersburg today. (**Please note that the attendee list for the Russian government officials may change due to last minute schedule changes)

Hyundai Motor plans to invest a total of 330 million euros in the plant, which will begin operations in December 2010 and begin production for sales in January 2011. Production is expected to reach maximum capacity of 100,000 units a year by the end of that year.

For the first year of 2011, Hyundai Motor plans to make new, small- to mid-size models strategically targeting the local market. Other models will be added according to local market conditions.

"Hyundai Motor´s new Russian plant, our sixth overseas production base, will strategically play a central role in Hyundai´s expansion in the CIS nations and Eastern Europe," Byung-kee Suh, Hyundai Motor´s Vice Chairman of Quality Assurance said at the ceremony. "We will produce the best products to become Russia´s No. 1 automaker."

St. Petersburg is the perfect area for the automobile industry to prosper, as it is blessed with a well-developed industrial infrastructure and logistics, highly-educated workforce, and the government´s active support. Together with Turkey and the Czech Republic, the new plant will be an advance base for Hyundai Motor´s operations in Europe. It will also be an important production base that completes Hyundai´s global expansion plans.

The plant, which will include storage facilities and a shipping area, will be built on an area of about 2 million square meters. The actual area of the buildings and facilities will take up about 83,000 square meters.

The Russian plant will get the full benefit of Hyundai Motor´s accumulated knowledge and experience gained from building plants in other emerging markets such as India, China and the Czech Republic. This will ensure the plant´s critical start-up phase will proceed smoothly in all areas of operation from manufacturing to administration and community relations.

Hyundai will actively support its parts suppliers to work together in the new plant, to secure high-quality parts and also give its parts suppliers an opportunity to expand its business. Hyundai Motor also expects to create about 4,000 jobs, including 1,700 for its assembly lines and about 2,200 for its parts suppliers.

Through the new plant, Hyundai Motor will be able to respond more flexibly to the local market by shortening delivery dates. This is also anticipated to save storage costs and improve dealers´ satisfaction.

In the long term, Hyundai Motor will be able to boost its brand value and customer reliability by promoting a corporate image of ´Made in Russia,´ laying the foundation for sustainable development in Russia.

Hyundai Motor expects to reach a broader range of customers with a full line-up through its added capacity from the new plant, which will add to the vehicles currently imported from Korea and the vehicles produced from its existing CKD plant.

Separately, Hyundai Motor last year sold 147,843 passenger cars in Russia, a 47 percent increase from 2006, ranking No. 2 in Russia´s imported brands. This year, Hyundai Motor expects sales to increase 35 percent from last year, to about 200,000 units. The company plans to achieve this through aggressive marketing and promotion activities to boost brand image, as well as expanding dealerships and continuously introducing new models.

In the commercial vehicle sector, Hyundai Motor also posted an annual sales increase of 60 percent to 8,014 units last year. The company plans to double this figure in 2008, to 16,700 units.