Hyundai draws ire of Indian netizens after tweet on Kashmir freedom

Korean carmaker Hyundai saw itself facing the ire of netizens in India on Monday (February 7) after its branch in Pakistan tweeted a message calling for support to the freedom struggle of Kashmiris.

The hashtag #BoycottHyundai started trending with a screenshot of the now-deleted tweet from Hyundai Pakistan’s Twitter account that said: “Let us remember the sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers and stand in support as they continue to struggle for freedom. #HyundaiPakistan #KashmirSolidarityDay”

The message appears to have been put up by the PR team of the company in Pakistan. However, netizens in India were quite unforgiving, saying such messages would harm its business in the country.

Why do brands need to meddle in Politics? pic.twitter.com/j5xPqWvLCN

— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) February 6, 2022

Err..Hyundai Pak desperate for Kashmiri buyers.. While Hyundai India begs to differ.

Experts say, these Marketing teams may very well solve their sales quota issues and Oh as a result that 75-yr conflict.

Asked to comment, Hyundai HQ spokesperson dint have a clue..

😂😂😂😂

— jaya_jaya_bharatham🇮🇳 (@BharathamJaya) February 6, 2022

Will be interesting to see how this impacts Indian market for @HyundaiIndia. Looks like @Hyundai_Global sees a bigger market potential in Pakistan than India

— pH (@praveenhortikar) February 6, 2022

Hyundai India later reiterated its commitment to the Indian market and nationalism, saying they stand firmly with Indian values and have zero tolerance towards insensitive communication.

Official Statement from Hyundai Motor India Ltd.#Hyundai #HyundaiIndia pic.twitter.com/dDsdFXbaOd

— Hyundai India (@HyundaiIndia) February 6, 2022