Hyundai Motor's hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle Nexo parked in front of GS Caltex's hydrogen car recharging station in the Sangil-dong area of Seoul's Gangdong District. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Company

Korea's Hyundai Motor beat its Japanese rivals to top global hydrogen vehicle sales during the January-August period, a market research firm said Tuesday.

Hyundai Motor sold 7,410 hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in global markets in the eight-month period, jumping 26 percent from 5,873 units sold during the same period of last year, SNE Research said in a statement, citing data from Global FCEV Monthly Tracker.

The maker of the Nexo hydrogen model accounted for nearly 60 percent of the global hydrogen-powered vehicle market in the first eight months, the statement said.

Carmakers' focus on pure electric vehicles, a chip shortage and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war remain major concerns for the sale of hydrogen cars, Hyundai said.

Toyota Motors ranked second with sales of 2,561 FCEVs in the first eight months, down 42 percent from 4,406 units a year earlier. The Japanese carmaker took up 21 percent of the hydrogen car market during the cited period.

Honda Motor came in third with FCEV sales of 209 units, up 17 percent from 178 a year earlier.

From January to August, global hydrogen car sales rose 11 percent to a total of 12,407 units from 11,198 a year ago, the statement said. (Yonhap)