Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun has won the top prize at the 2021 Autocar Awards for his contribution to the global car industry, the company said Wednesday.

The Issigonis Trophy, named after car designer Sir Alec Issigonis, is the award given to a standout individual within the industry who is deemed to have delivered an exceptional level of success.

“In the last decade, Hyundai Motor Group has grown into one of the world’s leading car firms, and Chairman Chung has been key to that transformation,” said Autocar’s editor-in-chief Steve Cropley.

“While Hyundai and Kia were considered unexciting budget brands with limited market share just a decade ago, they have made incredible progress under Chung’s leadership,” he added, describing the Korean auto group’s achievement as “unmatched” in the industry.

Autocar also underlined the group’s leading move in the up-and-coming eco-friendly mobility business.

“Hyundai Motor Group has expanded into performance cars with Hyundai’s N division and the premium market with the new Genesis brand, and become a true industry leader in both electric and hydrogen-powered cars. It is no longer trying to catch up to rivals: now other car firms are chasing it.”

Showing appreciation for the honor, Chung vowed to continue the group’s efforts for a paradigm shift and to create more opportunities for humanity.

Chairman Chung, the grandson of group founder Chung Ju-yung, officially rose to his current top post in October last year, after serving for years as Kia’s president and then the group’s vice chairman.

Hyundai Motor Group, the No. 2 conglomerate here by assets, comprises mobility, steel, construction, logistics, finance, information technology and service sectors, along with its car brands of Hyundai Motor, Kia and Genesis.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)