Combined sales of green cars by Hyundai Motor and its subsidiary Kia topped 102,480 cars in the first half this year, a whopping 130% growth over a year earlier and approaching 2017's total sales, reported Yonhap News Agency, citing market information provider IHS and auto industry insiders.

In the first half, sales of Hyundai electric cars shot up by 151.7% year-on-year, followed by plug-in hybrid electric cars with 136.4% growth, and hybrid electric cars with 123.7%.

The sales surge enabled Hyundai to overtake Honda and become the world's second-largest green-car maker, trailing Toyota, three years ahead of its original schedule to attain the status, by 2020.

In addition to second place, next to Toyota, on the hybrid-car market, Hyundai's ranking on the electric-car market jumped to sixth spot in the first half, up from last year's 11th place, behind Renault, Tesla, BAIC, Zotye, and BYD.

Hyundai debuted a new fuel-cell car on Aug. 17, which is scheduled to hit the market in early 2018. The new car is furnished with a hydrogen fuel cell, outstripping by far the fuel cell of company's existing fuel-cell car Tucson in efficiency, performance, endurance, and storage capacity, with 580 kilometers of cruising range for one filling of hydrogen fuel, 40% higher than 415 kilometers for the existing car. The new car will be equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).

Hyundai announced that it plans to increase the number of green-car models to 31, up from 14 now, by 2020, including 10 for hybrid electric cars, 11 for plug-in hybrid electric cars, 8 for electric cars, and two for fuel-cell cars, consolidating its status as the world's second-largest green-car maker.