New Delhi: South Korea's Hyundai Motor faced calls on Monday for a boycott of its cars in India after a tweet from the account of its Pa...
New Delhi: South Korea's Hyundai Motor faced calls on Monday for a boycott of its cars in India after a tweet from the account of its Pakistan partner expressed solidarity for separatists in Kashmir.
The controversy erupted on Sunday, a day after posts on behalf of Hyundai's partner Nishat Group appeared on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Hundreds of social media users in India backed calls for a boycott, saying Hyundai must apologise for the social media posts.
Dozens of Indians posted their intention to cancel orders for Hyundai cars in order to punish the company while urging support for homegrown brands like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra.
Responding to the controversy, Hyundai's India unit said that it has a "zero tolerance policy towards insensitive communication and we strongly condemn any such view".
"The unsolicited social media post linking Hyundai Motor India is offending our unparalleled commitment and service to this great country," @HyundaiIndia said, adding that it stands firmly behind its "strong ethos of respecting nationali-sm".
Reuters requested comment from Hyundai's headquarters in Seoul and from Nishat Group, Pakistan's largest business conglomerate, but did not receive any immediate response.
Hyundai is India's second-largest car seller after Maruti Suzuki selling close to half a million vehicles in the country last fiscal year and exporting over a million units, making it India's largest car exporter.
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