Are our opinions about Hyundai changing?

[DCEite]

Well somehow my feelings towards Hyundai cars have undergone a change in recent times.. previously i considered Hyundai as a company manufacturing outdated technology based cars which were lousy on performance.. and cheap quality overall...

But things are changing now... i am gaining some respect for what Hyundai is doing right now, and plans to do...
Reasons:

1. I sat and drove the newly launched Xing Erlx. Believe me, compared to Maruti cars (zen and wagonr), it feels a class above, both in terms of overall quality and performance. And not to forget that Hyundai customer support is increasing day by day and reaching at par with Maruti.

2. Now lets talk about CRDi. Do you remember any good diesel engine from the great MARUTI?.. No.. But this one surely is. Hyundai was the first company which introduced this tech in India, and see how others are following.. about the car itself, well, the engine when turned on produces a sound that is enough for a car enthusiast to understand the quality of the material under the bonnet.

3. Hyundai coupe. So who says that Hyundai cars dont perform.. i suggest go ride a coupe, you will know the definition of performance.

4. Hyundai Sonata Embera. Now believe me, whether you call it a copy cat or anything , the fact is, this car really rocks. Performance that can put to shame accord, and safety features that can put to shame a C-class.. this is the new Embera for you...

5. Tucson,Getz etc. again these cars are the latest enterants in world market, and even if you compare Tucson with Ford Endeavour, you will know that which company is selling the latest technology, and which is selling outdated trucks....

All in all, i think Hyundai is improving. The big thing is, they are learning... unlike Maruti and some others ...

[JLN]

hyundai is certainly gaining credibility. their cars were considered lousy in the us 5 years back. they started selling by throwing in a five year warranty. the best thing is they seem to really imporved QUALITY in the backend simultaneously.

Now even in the US, their cars are selling well, mainly because they are priced more aggressively then the japanese cars (honda/toyota) and the perception of quality has significantly improved. in the us suzuki cars are considered worse than the hyundai ones.

in india, their cars certainly seem to have a better fit and finish and i have heard great stories about their after sales service.

I have just booked a GETZ GVS, will take delivery next week. will keep you posted on my experiences.

[Sush]

You are kind of right. I had a little bad experience with my Xing XL but the Service Manager handled it quite well. Overall the Indian car market is becoming very competitive and Hyundai has also become a automotive giant here.

[jkdas]

good write-up. even in us hyundai is now eating the top places when it comes to quality. coupe is considered poor man's ferrari ( read it somewhere). getz was teh top car when it was compared with some 23-30 odd asian cars in a top gear shootout.

and safety....how safe is 800 or the van?.

anyway, me just another hyundai fan. would lke 2 buy the tuscon if i had money

[lamborghini]

Hey Dciete,
I have to agree with you.
There are 3 things in the Indian Market which have made me start to like Hyundai -
1. The CRDi powerplants
2. The ERLX and Gety and Tucson and Embera (It is a better car then the accord for the normal man)
3. A.S.S is one of the best in the business. Has any heard anything bad to say about Hyundai?
While my fav. cars are made by Fiat, Hyundai isn't too far behind.
Heck,
i have even decided that if we sell the Accord this year or next year, our next car is either going to be the Embera or the Superb if they cut the price.

[tsk1979]

I never had a bad opinion about Hyundai.
They have always been better than the rest of the crowd.
Case in point, Santro. These guys came with MPFI in India when Maruti was still passing carburettor as the pinnacle in tech.
The introduced new variants, new models even for cars which did well.
Santro V1 was selling well. But they upgraded the engine to 1.1L so that performance is better. Look at the Wagon Rs, Zens and Esteems.
Then they introduced the Xing, and then Xing erlx. These were not introduced because santro was not selling well. They just upgrade whenever possible.

The only thing bad about Hyundai is their advert where they try to potray owners of other cars as illiterate or backward. Apart from this they make great cars which are value for money,
Even the elantra which is not selling at all is a great value for money. Infact its the largest selling car in the US, sells more than accords and corollas etc.,
Skoda may boast of amazing quality, but hyundai has more faith in themselves as they offer 4 years/80000 kms warranty.
Look at their spare part costs, they dont charge the sky, and service is also cheap. They have everything to go forward and hyundai is one company which will definately survive.

[idrive]

There is some more global evidence to support hyundai's changing image:
1. Hyundai is supposed to manufacture 350,000 units (2006) for other OEMs including diamler chrysler.
2. the above number exlcudes cars sold under the hyundai brand
3. the diamler chrysler relationship also vindicates hyundai because DC's new low end hybrid cars (fuel cell electric and other) are being manufactured by hyundai
4. hyundai posted $26 Billion in sales in 200 countries for 2004 alone and they are supposed to grow up by 40% in 2006
5. their reliability index has grown dramatically making them the 4 most reliable car in the compact class
6. their annual repair bill per car that have put in 50000 miles is around $750 which is one of the lowest expenses (only beaten by honda)
7. their vehicles are slowly achieving the highest crash test ratings in the US (take sonata and tucson as an example)
8. finally they are one of the top 10 motor car manufacturing companies in the world.

all this is definitely worth something is'nt it!!

More interesting might be the fact that the auto component industry in korea has taken a downward slide and it is only hyundai that is keeping them all afloat.

I personally have driven the accent and i think that the vehicle is good value for money.
Here are the latest technology innovations that hyundai

regards

[drifter]

Well this is surely a surprise...finally opinions about hyundai are changing for the better. I have always vouched for hyundai's quality...and i guess others are starting to agree as well.
Good going hyundai.

Drifter

[Dippy]

I have never really liked Hyundai cars from the beginning. I have lived among cars like the Hyundai Pony and Stellar when I was a kid in Dubai. Hyundai was always a no no for me. I would still never buy a Hyundai but if there is anything that changed my opinion about them is their CRDi technology. I just love that engine. The only CRDi I have driven is drifters Accent and I loved it. Such a torquey engine. I havent driven their other diesels but I'm sure they should be equally good.

I wonder what the new Sonata would be with a CRDi powerplant

The other thing I like about them is their A.S.S which I think is one of the best around

[5u3zEr0]

Maybe Hyundai cars are getting better but the way they go about advertising their products and pulling down competitors products is not the right way. Until they clean up their act, my opinion of Hyundai will not change.

Personally, I am biased, never owned a Hyundai and never will!

[GTO]

If anthing, there is an incredibly thin line of difference in overall quality of a Hyundai versus a Honda. In terms of reliability, there is none.

Hyundai have only got to work on more refinement from the powertrains. Thats all.

GTO

[turbo_lover]

me and my housemates just had a discussion today on how much hyundai has grown froma petty car maker to a well established car manufacturer in the global market ...

i mean they make daily driver's cars reliable and economical ..of late they have started making them good looking too! what else does a car need in order to sell?

as a company they are dynamic and one of the few car makers in india who introduce globally launched models..constantly revamping and fixings flaws ...
must say they are doing a great job and will continue to do so too..

[protege]

The recent Hyundai promos (xing and accent) being aired in TV are totally different from all previous promos.. they are now passing the same sentimental mushy mushy lifestyle message.. (first love, first kid, dropping kids to a Harry Pottery school after crossing through the dense mist. I liked it..) I have driven my friends Xing it sure is a nice machine to drive..

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by dceite

And not to forget that Hyundai customer support is increasing day by day and reaching at par with Maruti.
...

I disagree...its BETTER than Maruti's. One actually feels happy going to the Hyundai service centre, because you know your car's going to be pampered and will come back looking and feeling like a million bucks.

[GTO]

One more point in favour of Hyundai : Their designs from the recent lot are certainly a LOT better than the quirky stuff we used to see from them in the 90's.

GTO