Hyundai chair Chung Euisun makes first Beijing Auto Show visit in eight years

Hyundai is back in China — or at least it wants everyone to know it is trying. Chung Euisun, the executive chair of Hyundai Motor Group, showed up at Auto China 2026 in Beijing this week for the first time in eight years. That is a small physical gesture, but in car-industry terms it is loud. China is Hyundai’s hardest major market right now, and the company is signaling that the comeback push is no longer just a slide deck. (koreaherald.com) ### Why does one trade-show visit matter? Because top executives do not spend time this way by accident. Chung’s appearance says Hyundai sees China as strategic again after years of retreat. Hyundai once had six plants in China. Now it runs three — two in Beijing and one in Sichuan — after closures and sales tied to weak demand and a long slump in its local business. (koreaherald.com) ### What is Hyundai actually trying to fix? The basic problem is relevance. Chinese buyers moved fast toward EVs, software-heavy cabins, local digital ecosystems, and advanced driver-assistance features. Hyundai did not keep pace there. Its market share, once above 10% in its stronger years, fell to around the(koreaherald.com)being almost invisible. (finance.biggo.com) ### What changed this week? Hyundai used Auto China 2026 to make the reboot concrete. The company said it will launch 20 models in China over the next five years. It also formally pushed the Ioniq brand into China and repositioned Beijing Hyundai toward new-energy vehicles — basically EVs and other el(finance.biggo.com)re. Reuters also reported a roughly $1 billion China campaign tied to the revival effort. (msn.com) ### Why is “localized” the key word? Because foreign brands do not win China anymore by shipping in a global car and changing the badge. Hyundai’s new pitch is local tech, local partners, and local tastes. The Ioniq V shown in Beijing pair(msn.com)new rule of the market — in China, the software stack matters almost as much as the metal. (koreaherald.com) ### Why now? Partly because the competitive pressure is brutal, but also because Hyundai needs balance. The company has been leaning harder on the US and other markets, yet trade friction and tariff risk make overreliance dangerous. Expanding in China again gives Hyundai another growth engine if it can pull it(koreaherald.com) eco-friendly vehicles in China, more than 33 times the prior year’s level. (koreaherald.com) ### What does the Beijing show itself tell us? Auto China 2026 is where the gap is easiest to see. Chinese brands are showing off fast charging, AI-heavy cockpits, and more advanced assisted-driving systems at scale. The show runs from April 24 to May 4 under a “Future of Intelligence” theme, which is basicall(koreaherald.com)is about. Hyundai is not just trying to sell more cars there — it is trying to relearn the market in public. (koreaherald.com) ### So is this a real comeback? It is a real attempt, yes. But a comeback is different from a visit. Chung showing up matters because it puts senior leadership behind the China reset. The harder part is whether Hyundai can ship products Chinese buyers actually want, at prices they will accept, with software that does not feel one generation behind local rivals. (pulse.mk.co.kr) ### Bottom line This story is not really about a chairman walking a show floor. It is about Hyundai admitting that China cannot be treated as a side market anymore. The company is back in the arena — but now it has to prove it can fight on China’s terms. (koreaherald.com)