Hyundai India under crossfire over Hyundai Pakistan’s tweet

South Korean automaker Hyundai faced outrage after an official tweet from Hyundai Pakistan, calling for 'Kashmir's freedom' has brought carmaker under crossfire. Hyundai Pakistan posted a message on Twitter and Facebook on February 5, which was observed in Pakistan as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’.

Hyundai Pakistan urged people to remember the 'sacrifice' of Kashmiri brothers and sisters via a social media post. Posting an image from Kashmir, the caption read, "Let us remember the sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers and stand in support as they continue to struggle for freedom."

The posts were reportedly deleted later following outrage from Indian users on social media. Several tagged Hyundai India on Twitter questioning its thoughts on the post by the Pakistan counterpart. Several also called for boycott of the brand in the Indian market, with #BoycottHyundaiindia beginning to trend.

Following the social media posts calling for boycott of the car brand, Hyundai India responded by issuing a statement. They wrote: “Hyundai Motor India has been committed to the Indian market for more than 25 years now, and we stand firmly for our strong ethos of respecting nationalism. The unsolicited social media post linking Hyundai Motor India is offending our unparalleled commitment and service to this great country. India is a second home to the Hyundai brand, and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards insensitive communication, and we strongly condemn any such view.”

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), founded back in 1996, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the South Korea-headquartered Hyundai Motor Company. In the Indian market, Hyundai is the second largest automobile manufacturer, having 17.42% market share (as of FY 2021).