The gap in market capitalization between Samsung Electronics and Hyundai-Kia has reached the widest level so far. Market cap equals the total number of outstanding shares multiplied by the share price and a gauge of a company’s net worth.

Samsung’s market cap as of Tuesday’s closing price stood at W220.9 trillion as against Hyundai-Kia’s W68.35 trillion, a gap of W152.6 trillion gap (US$1=W1,063).

The gap narrowed to W55 trillion in December of 2008 but has been widening ever since.

Industry insiders say the growing chasm is not due to actual earnings performance but because of differing views among investors. Last year, Hyundai-Kia posted an estimated W125 trillion in sales and W13 trillion in operating profit, not far behind Samsung’s W201 trillion and W29 trillion.

But the automakers suffered a huge dent in their image in the U.S. due to a false advertising scandal. On top of that, the strengthening won against the dollar has stoked fears of a deterioration in exports.

The market positions of the electronics giant and the automakers are also believed to have affected the gap in market cap. Samsung controls more than a 40 percent share of the global markets for smartphones and DRAM chips, but the automakers have only 8 to 9 percent of the global automobile market.