Sports utility or recreational vehicle models will likely take up 90 percent of next year’s lineup from Korea’s top automakers Hyundai Motor and its sister Kia Motors, a sharp shift in the traditionally sedan-strong automaking group.

The SUV and green campaign reportedly has been ordered by the group’s de facto leader executive vice chairman Chung Eui-sun, according to internal sources.

The group has already announced its plan to release 44 kinds of new eco-friendly vehicles by 2025 with a target to sell 1.67 million units globally per year.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are planning 10 new releases next year at home and abroad and nine of them are likely in SUVs and recreational type, up from this year’s ratio of 60 percent.

That would be more or less a hiatus in entry-level or full-change sedans, the Korean automakers’ traditional focus.

In next year’s pipeline are full-change Tucson, Sorento and Sportage as well as maiden GV70, the SUV version of premium sedan G70. The higher-cost SUV version of GV80 will come up within the year to provide the glimpse of the first SUV version in Genesis marque. Compact crossover utility vehicle and medium-size entry SUV also will be added to Hyundai Motor’s fleet next year, according to sources.

Kia Motors also is gearing up for lineup ranging from compact and medium-size SUVs to multipurpose minivan Carnival. Compact SUVs reportedly will be rolled out at its new manufacturing lines in India.

By Moon Ji-woong and Lee Ha-yeon

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