Hyundai - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Hyundai is High Risk.

Hyundai is High Risk. The company yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	High Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	High Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Hyundai received a score of 55 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). The company integrates ESG into its business practices. From its Supplier Code of Conduct “Suppliers should establish a system with which they can calculate their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Suppliers should exert their best efforts to minimize energy use and greenhouse gas emissions” (3). However, Hyundai has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (4)(5).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Hyundai’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). Hyundai does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (3).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Hyundai appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment. From its Diversity & Inclusion Policy: “Hyundai affiliates will work hard to provide sufficient opportunities to minority groups in the recruitment and transition placement process, recognizing that embracing diverse talents increases corporate value.” Hyundai appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its mentorship program. “We will also promote activities to improve organizational culture and campaigns to spread a culture of diversity and implement the ‘Diversity Mentoring Program’ to build rapport among the same groups” (1). Hyundai appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its Road to Sustainability report: “Hyundai is committed to appointing directors with respect for diversity, including gender, nationality, race, and religion” (2). Hyundai protects its employees against viewpoint discrimination (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Hyundai promotes “organization diversity and inclusion and operate KPIs to manage diversity and inclusion performance” (1). The company is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2045 (2). The company is aligned with the Paris Agreement, which entails a commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 (3). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its Diversity & Inclusion Policy: “Hyundai will build an internal system necessary to implement the basic principles of this policy, regularly inspect and improve the status of diversity and inclusion, and fully share the results with stakeholders” (4). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its Road to Sustainability report: “Hyundai is strengthening management activities to preemptively identify and remove risk factors related to ESG, and explores new business opportunities and strives to secure a new competitive edge by strategically using various ESG factors” (5).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Hyundai’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). Hyundai has sponsored events for GLAAD and was the official sponsor of the 2021 Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC Film Festival (3). Hyundai has pledged support to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes (4)(5). Kia, a subsidiary of Hyundai, is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (6). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (7).