Imagine a hearing-impaired person who has lost both their voice and fingers, yet refuses to give up hope while learning baking skills and dreaming of opening a bakery. In a rural village without even a small hospital, people can face life-or-death moments when someone needs CPR—simply because they do not know how to respond appropriately. Their stories, wishes, and circumstances are all different, but their urgency points to a single answer: a car. Becoming a bakery for some and an emergency room for others, such a car can reach every corner of society, carrying people toward a better life. This is the Gift Car, Hyundai Motor Group’s flagship social contribution program.

In 2025, Hyundai Motor Group’s Gift Car program launched its 15th season. This season introduces “Gift Car PLAY ON,” a project designed to support youth sports teams at elementary, middle, and high schools. Participation in sports during youth not only improves physical fitness but also fosters social skills, teamwork, concentration, responsibility, and emotional stability—positively influencing overall development. However, according to statistics from the Ministry of Education, youth participation in sports in Korea has declined every year, with the number of student athletes falling by 24% over the past five years. PLAY ON began with a simple question: Is children’s participation in sports declining due to a lack of attention and support? Because they have no friends to run with? Or because they are missing someone’s encouragement?

First, PLAY ON selects 30 youth sports teams from elementary, middle, and high schools that are facing operational challenges. Each team is provided with a vehicle to support transportation, along with training equipment and emergency kits. Vehicles are customized to each team’s size and travel conditions, with models selected from the County, Carnival, Solati, and Granbird lineups. By easing the burden of long-distance travel to training sites and competitions, the program helps children continue exercising in a safer and more supportive environment. Drawing on Hyundai Motor Group’s experience in operating archery, baseball, soccer, and other sports teams, PLAY ON also offers mentoring programs that connect youth with professional coaches and athletes. Going beyond the provision of vehicles and supplies, the program delivers meaningful experiences and encouragement—empowering children to continue pursuing their dreams through sports.

Since its official launch, “Gift Car PLAY ON” has drawn significant public attention. Nearly 80,000 people participated in the related “Challenge Quiz Champion” event, and approximately 1,700 people joined the supportive comment campaign on YouTube, helping spread social empathy and encouragement for youth sports. Following the completion of final school selections at the end of 2025, Gift Car PLAY ON will begin full-scale support in January 2026.

Since its launch in 2010, Hyundai’s Gift Car has served as a flagship social contribution initiative, addressing diverse societal needs through the power of mobility. The first season began by delivering vehicles accompanied by messages of encouragement to vulnerable communities. Since then, Gift Car has expanded its scope by focusing on a specific social issue each season.

For small business owners and young entrepreneurs who urgently need transportation to achieve financial self-reliance and earn a living, the program has provided vehicles to help lay the foundations for sustainability. In areas often overlooked by care systems—such as local childcare centers—Gift Car has supported the continuation of essential on-the-ground activities. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program deployed special blood donation vehicles to help address declining blood supplies, adapting to changing social needs and expanding its role. Wherever the vehicles arrived, they became sources of livelihood and hubs for education and safety—creating meaningful social value.

A major example is Season 14’s “Heartbeat,” launched in 2024. Built on the belief that both cities of millions and villages of just dozens should have access to essential safety education, the program focused on safety. In partnership with the Korean Red Cross, Gift Car vehicles served as mobile classrooms, delivering CPR and AED training inside the vehicles themselves.
A total of 12 “Gift Car Heartbeat” vehicles have been donated to the Korean Red Cross and are still in use for activities such as disaster safety education. The vehicles were modified by removing the seats and installing educational equipment, including TVs, for on-board learning.

From 2010 through 2024, a total of 407 Gift Cars have been provided with support from Hyundai Motor Group. Some of these vehicles have been donated for public purposes and continue to be actively used in communities today. More than just a means of transportation, Gift Car has established itself as a symbolic social contribution program that connects with and responds to a wide range of social needs.

Through Gift Car, Hyundai Motor Group has continually demonstrated the most practical form of support in moments of need. The answer has always been the same: a car that moves swiftly toward urgent needs across society. This journey, carried forward under the name Gift Car, will continue toward where it is needed most—ensuring that everyday life in our communities continues smoothly.