Cars parked ready to be exported in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Feb. 25. Yonhap
Hyundai Motor Group, the world's third-largest automaker by sales, ranked second among global automotive groups in terms of operating profit in 2025, industry data showed Wednesday.
According to an analysis of earnings data released by the groups, the Korean group, which houses Hyundai Motor and Kia, ranked second in terms of operating profit last year, which stood at 20.5 trillion won ($13.9 billion), trailing Toyota Group, which reported an operating profit of 4.3 trillion yen, or 40.2 trillion won, last year.
The two Asian auto giants secured the top two positions by mitigating the impact of U.S. import tariffs through adjustments to inventory and production, according to industry watchers.
General Motors (GM) ranked third, with $12.7 billion, or roughly 18.7 trillion won, followed by Volkswagen Group, with 8.9 billon euros, or roughly 15.3 trillion won.
Hyundai Motor Group also ranked second in operating profit margin, at 6.8 percent, trailing Toyota Group's 8.6 percent.
In vehicle sales, Hyundai Motor Group remained the world's third-largest automaker, with 7.27 million vehicles sold. Toyota Group led with 11.32 million units, followed by Volkswagen Group with 8.98 million. GM ranked fourth with 6.18 million vehicles sold.
In the United States, one of the world's most important automobile markets, Hyundai Motor Group paid 7.2 trillion won in import tariffs, compared with Toyota Group's 11.2 trillion won. The U.S. currently imposes a 15 percent tariff on vehicles shipped from Korea.
Source: Korea Times News
