Big SUVs Getting More Eco-Friendly
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Big SUVs are finally getting more eco-friendly.
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Hyundai and affiliate Kia on Sunday said they will release hybrid electric models of two SUVs next year -- the modified Hyundai Santa Fe and the new Kia Sorrento. The two top sellers are currently only available in diesel and gasoline versions.
They will still take up vast amounts of road space, but at least their carbon footprint will shrink amid a trend toward more eco-friendly cars in Korea, which includes sedans like the Sonata and Grandeur and smaller SUVs like the Kona and Niro.
The market for green cars is growing rapidly. According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, the country's five automakers sold a total of 69,834 eco-friendly cars in the first eight months of this year, up 21.9 percent from last year.
HEVs took up the biggest share at 64.7 percent, followed by electric cars with 31.8 percent.
But that is still a long way behind the worst polluters. Even though sales of dirty diesel cars fell 16.4 percent over the same period, they amounted to a staggering 254,342 units.