Beating Musk... Munyoz, Hyundai Motor President, Ranked Most Influential in the Auto Industry This Year

Selected as 'Person of the Year' by MotorTrend in the U.S.
"Remarkable achievements as the first foreign CEO"
Musk, CEO of Tesla, ranks second

Jose Munoz, CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, has been selected as the most influential figure in the automotive industry this year.

Jose Munoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. Photo by Hyundai Motor Company

On the 27th (local time), the American automotive magazine MotorTrend announced that it had chosen Munoz as the number one on the '2025 Automotive Trend Power List' among the top 50 influential figures (Person of the Year).

MotorTrend, founded in the United States in 1949, is the leading media outlet in the automotive field. Every year, it publishes a power list of 50 influential figures in the global automotive industry and names the most influential person as the 'Person of the Year.'

The publication praised Munoz for achieving remarkable results as Hyundai Motor Group's first foreign CEO. It also reported that he led Hyundai Motor's North American division for several years, achieving record-high sales, market share, and the highest operating profit margin.

Hyundai Motor America (HMA) also congratulated Munoz on social networking services (SNS), stating that Hyundai has become the leader among electric vehicle companies in the U.S. thanks to his foresight.

Accordingly, Hyundai Motor Group has produced its third 'Person of the Year' in the automotive industry, following Peter Schreyer, then President of Design Management in 2020, and Chairman Chung Euisun in 2023.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, ranked second. Following him were U.S. President Donald Trump, Mary Barra, Chairwoman of General Motors, and RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian, who ranked third to fifth respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.