Hyundai Motor has spearheaded a comeback among foreign marques vying for a slice of the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) market, launching a new brand built around local technologies and partnerships.

The South Korean carmaker, which reversed a six-year sales decline in 2025, said it would soon introduce production models under the Ioniq brand tailored for Chinese consumers, as it steps up its push into the world’s largest automotive market.

“The newly launched Ioniq brand in China evolves beyond a traditional product line-up into a broader mobility ecosystem,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “While drawing on strong global experience, Ioniq was shaped specifically for the Chinese market, integrating local technologies and partnerships with Hyundai’s established standards of safety and quality.”

Hyundai’s move has raised expectations of a broader fightback by international carmakers in a mammoth market where they have been eclipsed by domestic rivals for nearly a decade.

Dozens of global brands were expected to unveil new EV technologies and intelligent vehicles at the Auto China show in Beijing, which begins on April 24, according to company statements.

“New EV model launches by foreign brands this year reflect efforts to accelerate electrification in China and regain lost ground,” said Gao Shen, an independent analyst in Shanghai. “But it will take time before this translates into substantial sales growth.”