Chung Eui-sun is named MotorTrend Person of the Year

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun has been named the most influential person in the motor industry this year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was ranked 42nd.

MotorTrend, America’s automotive magazine, revealed on Thursday the names of 50 people on the 2021 MotorTrend Power List and announced that the chairman of Hyundai Motor Group was ranked first.

The magazine wrote that Mr. Chung was named the Person of the Year because of his vision and leadership to make the world a better place. “His grasp of where the world and industry are headed, combined with a desire to make the planet a better place, spurs a broader mission to become a leader in electric vehicles and advanced mobility,” the article said.

“Chung is leading Hyundai Motor Group into a new age. He is more than an automotive CEO. His big-picture thinking includes data, tech, and software engineering. It goes even further with visions of smart cities boasting myriad mobility solutions,” the article further stated.

General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra was ranked second, for her relentless efforts to revitalize the company’s past glory in the era of electric vehicles. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was ranked fourth. In the Hyundai Motor Group, Luc Donckerwolke, the automaker’s president and chief creative officer, was ranked third; Jose Munoz, the company’s president and global chief operating officer, was ranked 10th; Lee Sang-yup, the executive vice president and head of Hyundai Global Design was ranked 28th; and Karim Habib, the executive vice president and head of Kia Global Design Center, was ranked 44th.

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, who is aggressively growing investment in EV batteries and automotive part businesses, was ranked 20th, and Kwon Young-soo, LG Corp.’s vice chairman and CEO of LG Energy Solution, was ranked 45th. Elon Musk, the CEO of the world's largest EV maker Tesla, was ranked 42nd, and the magazine said it was because Tesla has not launched any new products in the past two years.

MotorTrend was first published in 1949 in the U.S., with a monthly circulation of over one million copies. Every year, MotorTrend releases a list of 50 influential people in the global automobile industry, where number one is selected as the “Person of the Year.” MotorTrend editors and advisory committee members conduct evaluations and closed voting to pick those who will be named on the list.


bjk@donga.com