Hyundai Motor Group is expected to achieve 3 million units in accumulated environment-friendly vehicle sales in the first half, driven by new models, industry sources said Sunday.

The South Korean automotive group, which has Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. under its wing, sold a cumulative 2.53 million eco-friendly vehicles as of November last year, according to industry people.

From January to November, the two carmakers sold a combined 656,479 eco-friendly models in global markets, higher than the 501,487 units sold for the whole of 2020.

The sales data for the whole of 2021 will be released later.

Eco-friendly cars include all-electric, plug-in hybrid, gasoline hybrid, and hydrogen fuel-cell electric models.

Sales of those vehicles are expected to rise further given demand is on the rise for Hyundai's IONIQ 5 all-electric model, its independent Genesis brand's electrified GV60 SUV and G80 sedan, and its smaller affiliate Kia's pure electric EV6 sedan.

This year, Hyundai, Genesis and Kia plan to launch the all-electric IONIQ 6, GV70 SUV and Niro EV models, respectively, in global markets, along with hybrid models of the Hyundai Tucson and Santa Fe SUVs, and the Kia Sportage and Sorento SUVs. (Yonhap)