South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor slipped to second place in the fuel cell electric vehicle market in the first quarter as Japanese rival Toyota clinched the top rank with the release of a new model, industry data showed.

Global FCEV sales jumped 89.2 percent on-year to hit a record of nearly 4,000 units in the January-March period, mostly driven by strong sales of Toyota‘s second-generation Mirai model, according to the data by SNE Research.

Toyota sold about 2,000 FCEVs in the first three months of this year, up from 300 units a year earlier, accounting for 49 percent of its market share, data showed.

Hyundai Motor, the maker of Nexo, saw its sales jump 29.5 percent on-year in the first quarter to about 1,800 units, taking up a 44.6 percent share. (Yonhap)