Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors are together the world’s third-biggest carmaker in terms of market capitalization.

According to industry data, the two companies’ combined market capitalization reached 70.2 trillion won ($65 billion) ― Hyundai with about 47.1 trillion won and Kia with 23 trillion won ― as of Nov. 19.

Their value on the global stock market could be regarded as No. 3 out of 12 major automakers, research analysts said.

Toyota Motor topped the list with 155.5 trillion won in market cap and Volkswagen ranked second with 95.5 trillion won.

Honda Motor ranked fourth with 63.1 trillion won, followed by BMW with 56.7 trillion won, Daimler with 53.5 trillion won, Nissan with 45.4 trillion won and Ford Motor with 42.7 trillion won.

The companies ranked 9th to 12th were General Motors, Renault, Fiat and Citroen.

Analysts also said Hyundai Motor is expected to see its profitability for this year top the list among the 12 automakers.

Hyundai Motor’s operating profit is projected to equal 10.9 percent of revenue, surpassing BMW with an estimated 10.8 percent.

Kia is projected to mark the third with the estimate of 8.9 percent in the ratio of operating profit to revenue, followed by Daimler with 7.2 percent, Nissan with 6.6 percent, Honda with 6.2 percent, Volkswagen with 6.1 percent and Toyota with 5.4 percent.

Some analysts attributed the high profitability to its business policy of refraining from excessive discounts on vehicles and reducing costs by integrating assembly line platforms.

Meanwhile, three Hyundai Motor models were named the best residual value cars in their segments by a U.S. automotive guide.

Hyundai’s Avante (dubbed the “Elantra” in the North American market, a call-back to the cheap but widely loved car previously manufactured by Hyundai) topped the mid-compact segment to receive the 2013 Residual Value Award by Automotive Lease Guide, outshining the Honda Civic, Volkswagen Golf and Toyota Corolla. The Avante won the honor for third consecutive year.

The Grandeur, which was launched in the U.S. last year under the name of Azera, claimed the full-size car category for the first time, stopping the Nissan Maxima’s four-year winning streak.

The new Santa Fe Sport became the top mid-size utility vehicle for residual value, defeating the Subaru Outback, which had won the segment for three years in a row.

The Hyundai brand ranked second in overall residual value with the three awards, after Honda Motor.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)