Beijing Hyundai is a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co. and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co.

The electric vehicle is about the same size as Hyundai's Elantra compact car, Beijing Hyundai President Noh Jae-man told journalists last week at an auto industry forum held in the southwest China city of Chengdu.

The electric car will carry a newly created brand belonging to the joint venture, he added. Additional details about the vehicle are not available.

The Chinese government requires foreign automakers to localize production of electric vehicles and help their Chinese joint ventures launch new brands if they want to expand production in China.

Volkswagen AG, General Motors and other international automakers have authorized their Chinese joint ventures to build electric vehicles.

Hyundai wants to build a fourth assembly plant in China. If its joint venture develops an electric car, the Korean automaker is more likely to win government approval to build the plant.

Beijing Hyundai, based in the suburbs of Beijing, sold 498,344 vehicles in the first eight months of this year, up 8 percent from the same period last year.