'The More They Produce, the More They Lose' Discontinued Model... Sonata Taxi Faces Mid-Size Car Supply Shortage, Plans 'Reimport of Chinese-Made Vehicles'

Discontinuation of Domestic Factory Models Due to Profitability Decline
‘Reverse Import’ as Taxi Industry Opposition Grows

Hyundai Motor Company plans to import the 'Sonata Taxi' from China. This is because the production of mid-size taxis has been discontinued at domestic factories.

Sonata taxi model discontinued in Korea
[Image source=Hyundai Motor Company]

According to a report by 'Yonhap News' on the 13th citing Hyundai Motor's labor union newsletter, Hyundai plans to produce Sonata Taxis at its local factory in China and then bring them into the country.

The Sonata Taxi was previously produced at Hyundai's Asan plant. However, due to worsening profitability, the more they produced, the more losses they incurred, leading to its discontinuation in July of this year.

The problem is that after the discontinuation of the Sonata Taxi, the domestic taxi industry has experienced a shortage of mid-size vehicles. Ultimately, due to opposition from the taxi industry, Hyundai decided to import and sell the Sonata Taxi (DN8 model) from its Beijing plant in China.

According to the media, Hyundai's domestic factories have already reached full production capacity due to demand for new models such as eco-friendly vehicles. Therefore, it is reported that sustainability was secured by importing from the Chinese factory.