Hyundai Motor Rises to No. 29 in Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2026 Ranking

MUMBAI: South Korean automotive giant Hyundai Motor Company has climbed to 29th place in Interbrand’s “Best Global Brands 2026” ranking, with its global brand value surging to USD 25 billion. Up two places from sixth in 2025, Hyundai now stands fourth among all automotive brands globally, extending its unbroken streak of brand value growth to 17 consecutive years.

The double-digit performance boost reflects strong sales of electrified vehicles alongside aggressive investment in autonomous technology, software-defined vehicles (SDVs), and physical AI.

For the full year 2025, Hyundai Motor Company sold 961,812 electrified vehicles globally, a 27 per cent year-over-year increase. That momentum carried directly into 2026, with first-quarter electrified vehicle sales reaching 242,612 units. Electrified models accounted for 24.9 per cent of total global sales in Q1, with hybrid vehicles contributing 17.8 per cent, both marking all-time quarterly records for the manufacturer.

Key product awards have further fueled Hyundai Motor Company’s brand growth:

• Palisade: Named the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year in January 2026.
• IONIQ 9: Named World’s Best Large SUV at the 2026 Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year (WWCOTY) Awards, alongside securing a 2026 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award and Euro NCAP’s maximum safety rating.
• TUCSON Hybrid: Serves as a primary engine for global hybrid sales, with an all-new model featuring Hyundai Motor Company’s next-generation hybrid system recently revealed.

Beyond standard mobility, Hyundai Motor Group continues to push into next-generation technology. In January 2026, the group detailed a human-centered AI robotics strategy, following up in September 2026 with Atlas robot training demonstrations at the Robotics Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) ahead of a planned 2028 deployment at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA). The Atlas robot secured Best Robot in CNET Group’s Best of CES 2026, while the Robotics LAB MobED rover collected the CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award and a Red Dot Product Design award.

The company is also rolling out its Pleos Connect software platform, first featured on The New Grandeur in Korea in May 2026, aiming to equip 20 million vehicles globally by 2030. Autonomous driving subsidiary Motional began operating an IONIQ 5 robotaxi pilot service in Las Vegas in March 2026 to support Level 4 commercialization.

Hyundai Motor Company president and chief executive officer José Muñoz said, “Seventeen consecutive years of brand value growth comes from customers who chose Hyundai and from the teams and dealer partners who earned that trust. Improving to fourth among automotive brands reflects both the strength of our products today and the technologies we are building for what comes next — software-defined vehicles and physical AI.”

The carmaker’s global visibility was further amplified through its official partnership with the FIFA World Cup 2026, its role as Premier Partner to the ICC for global cricket, sponsorship of South America’s CONMEBOL Libertadores, and a Grand Prix victory at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for its “Coquí Alarmed” campaign.

Interbrand Group global managing partner Jihun Moon said, “This year, Hyundai unveiled its AI robotics strategy, extending the brand into physical AI. By proving tangible competitiveness in robotics and electrification, it strengthened brand distinctiveness and trust, a key driver of brand value growth.”

With a robust lineup of award-winning hybrid and electric vehicles paired with forward-looking investments in robotics and physical AI, Hyundai Motor Company enters the final stretch of 2026 firmly established as one of the world’s premier automotive brands.