Europe's auto market took a big electric leap forward last year, with more than 10 percent of new vehicles registered running entirely on battery power.
Domestic automakers, including Volkswagen, have been boosting their electric lineups, while Tesla sales have boomed thanks to Model 3 imports from China.
Largely lost in all the shuffle were the Korean brands, which enjoyed a good 2021, largely due to their electrified models. Hyundai and Kia were No 1 and No 2 in terms of share gainers among members of ACEA, the European automakers association.
In some of the region's top markets the good news continued into 2022 as in the UK, where Kia was the best-selling brand in January.
It was fairly easy to overlook Korean automakers in Europe before EVs started to take off. VW Group is a dominant force across the region, and national champions in Germany, France and Italy generally were able to play to the patriotism of buyers in and around their home countries.
Hyundai, Kia and Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda and Nissan did not quite replicate the success they had appealing to buyers in the U.S. over recent decades.
But now that EVs are helping to unlock more of the European market than ever before, the fortunes of Hyundai and Kia in the region is changing.