[supertinu]

S Korea is the new Japan

I was reading an article about a year back after the success of Genesis in US markets and how perception of Hyundai as a brand has gradually changed. From being a company which was openly getting inspired by designs of other companies to something like Genesis which was suddenly challenging the germans and the acuras and the lexus of the world. I had also read an interview with Toyota CEO and when asked about 1 auto manf whom he feared the most, he named Hyundai and this is few yrs back.

On a similar analogy off topic, I am reminded of a similar incident where a CEO of worlds largest semi conductor / microprocessor manf company was asked about whom he feared the most as competition and he named Samsung and this was 4 yrs back.

Bottomline I believe, we may all have our views about hyundai good or bad, but a brand that is growing in such cut throat competition world wide is definitely getting lot of consumer acceptable and is doing lot of things right.

[rjalihal]

Of all MNC auto makers in India, Hyundai is without doubt the most successful. They offer a wide range of cars to meet most budgets. While the quality may not be up to the mark of European cars, they are a phenomenal bang for your buck. It looks like Hyundai has consolidated its position in India and is now time to take the battle for market domination to Tata and Maruti.

PS: On the lighter side of things:-

What do you call a Hyundai on top of a hill?
>> A miracle!

And who can ever forget the classic Hyundai car joke made by a famous American talk show host:-

Hyundai will be introducing 3 new vehicles next year, a moped called "i go". A 4 door hatch called 'we go' and a new station wagon called "y'all go".

Cheers!
Rohan

[pgsagar]

I have never been a fan of Hyundai cars. Still am not. Their cars which sell well are ugly ( my opinion ) and the ones which looked good ( Elantra, Sonata, Terracan ) did not sell. But yes, we have to give them credit where it is due. They have indeed come a long way from those early days when it was perceived as a cheap brand.

While they are moving up, Japanese are going down. Call it complacency or their glacial pace of doing things, Japanes are sliding back. Only Toyota has moved up. Where did brands like Isuzu, Daihatsu, Subaru go? Nissan got taken over by Renault. Mitsubishi fell behind and Honda also appears headed in that direction.

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by KPS

I have been sticking to the Hyundai Brand because I believe they bring their latest global cars here and they do not treat India as a second rated market. Their cars have excellent features and upped the customer experience.The service experience has been excellent.

Cheers to Hyundai

KPS

I have an I10 VTVT Magna and I'm not so sure if the Indian version of the I10 is identical to the international I10. For example, a lot of options and variants are not available on the Indian I10.

For example,

* Diesel variants of I10 are available in some international markets.

Also, I found the following info on the UK I10 website:

* The 5 Year Triple Care Package is available as standard on every new Hyundai i10 in UK.* The Active and Style models come with an extra under floor luggage compartment in the boot and an under seat tray for the front passenger for added storage space.* The 60:40 folding seats in the back * All i10s feature a height adjustable steering column.* Dual front and front side airbags fitted as standard on all models.How I wish some of the above features were available on the Indian I10.* The UK I10 has an all-back dashboard and door panels

How I wish some of the above features were present on my I10.

[shortbread]

Hyundai is planning to set up a new engine manufacturing facility in India to churn out 1.1, 1.4 & 1.6 liter diesels for domestic consumption and exports. This should drive down the cost of their Diesel variants. With this Hyundai's total investment in India will cross US $ 2 Billion although it goes without saying that the returns haven't been disappointing either.

[ACM]

Hyundai and infact korea (Samsung and LG) has in the last decade taken the world by storm.

Korea is the new Japan and since it never had the kind of linked ties that Japan has with America they have had a balanced global growth that is not focused just on the USA.

I do think that Hyundia with its well rounded product range and decent quality will in this decade close on to the top 3 slots. It is alread a lean organization and it is getting better and better both in terms of its products and business practices.

The world is indeed changing and this is the new world order.

[vinya_jag]

I hate to love this company, but am equally amused to see the numbers they sell.
You could say a 100 bad things about Hyundai cars, but you will always see the next person buying a Hyundai.

Now, how do they sell those numbers outside India? I guess because they are really low priced cars out there. I was in Sydney sometime back and was surprised to see so many Getz cars there. They have 100 other companies there, but still the Getz sells at the lower end of the market. Who were buying these cars? Yes, very less Aussies brought these cars. It was the Indian/Jap/Chinese/Viet/Cambodia migrants in Australia that bought these cars.

Now into Europe:
This link says it all:
Hyundai car reviews - BBC Top Gear

A few excerpts:
i10 -Very small and very cheap, but will also very much give the impression that you're just on the way to draw out your pension and stock up on Wether's Originals.

i20 - Hyundai continues to improve its game - this is a good value supermini with a great warranty. Not a car to lust for, but try one if you need decent, cheap transport.

sonata - Somebody needs to sit Hyundai down in a nice chair and very gently break the news to them that the Ford Mondeo exists. It will come as a shock, but it's for their own good.

Tuscon - Great big fat Tonka-spec SUV isn't rubbish, but against Euro opposition it just feels like a wannabe supermodel hanging round the catwalk in a hat she made herself.

The Europeans surely hate the brand. How on earth does Hyundai sell in Europe? There are 100 other car companies with models in all segments, but still Hyundai sells. Its probably because Hyundai is really cheap.


Coming back to India:- Hyundai is nowhere near cheap. They are costlier than most brands (Maruti, Ford, Tata). How can Hyundai sell their cars at such high prices?
Thats because they understand the Indian commoner mentality better.
The i10 is priced close to the Ritz and Figo. I feel, its not even half the car of what the other two are. But beige interiors, airy cabin, Hyundai showrooms, servicing all make it a hot seller.
The i20 is priced close to the Fiesta classic. Its got a petrol engine that cannot hit the redline, steering that does not want to turn, and dynamics that might scare you. But again, my mother-in-law said "look at the upholstery, see the way she looks, I want this car - period"

I guess, they are the best at packaging and marketing. Anywhere in the world. Thats what matters to be at the top - Strategy.

[umeshnair]

I remember back in 2005, while I was in US, Hyundai was not a brand that you will come across often, but by 2007 the situation changed and you could see a lot of them (incl Kia) on the road. They even boasted of the best initial build quality, much higher than Toyota and in par with Honda. Having used two of their cars myself (Getz 1.3 and Verna), I am not surprised to see why they can't grow!

[ACM]

Vinya jag loved your post, you have just explained the way Europeans and Indians view things, its seems to be type casting but it is a reality.

Hyundai does manage to sell in really cool numbers and is itching up on the rest irrespective of the shortfalls in their cars.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag;2366226This link says it all:
[URL="http://www.topgear.com/uk/hyundai/"

Hyundai car reviews - BBC Top Gear[/url]

A few excerpts:
i10 -Very small and very cheap, but will also very much give the impression that you're just on the way to draw out your pension and stock up on Wether's Originals.

i20 - Hyundai continues to improve its game - this is a good value supermini with a great warranty. Not a car to lust for, but try one if you need decent, cheap transport.

sonata - Somebody needs to sit Hyundai down in a nice chair and very gently break the news to them that the Ford Mondeo exists. It will come as a shock, but it's for their own good.

Tuscon - Great big fat Tonka-spec SUV isn't rubbish, but against Euro opposition it just feels like a wannabe supermodel hanging round the catwalk in a hat she made herself.

While I am not trying to spoil your party, I just want to state the fact that Top Gear UK hates Hyundai and Kia. They are very very partial on them and love to praise every Ford and Honda. While Ford and Honda deserve every bit of the appreciation, Hyundai no longer deserves to be bashed upon like what they do.

When Autocar UK can praise the i10 so much and declare it as one of the Top 10 Cars, Top Gear UK need not praise it, but atleast they can refrain from bashing it up.

[akhilesh]

No prejudice here but I have never come across a Hyundai in India which is good to drive and that includes their latest and greatest i20. That also leads me to conclude that other people brands or mass brands like Ford are better engineered. Only if Ford had launched the Fiesta hatch, it would have made my choice far more easy.

[noopster]

Cracking the Indian market is not easy but Hyundai has done it. And the amazing thing is that they have done a much better job than Maruti in most areas, e.g. making the transition from mass market to premium segment: the i20 is the case in point. Agreed that Maruti too has sharpened up their act as well, launching a slew of models in the low-to-mid-end of the market to offer never-before choice to the customers but I would give Hyundai some credit for that as well- after all, competition is good for the customer!
The new Fluidic Verna is not only almost certainly going to do much better than its previous generation, but the way it is fitted and priced means that it will give Honda and new kid on the block VW a good run for their money in the C segment. I suppose it is to be expected that Hyundai will learn from their the mistakes of the Elantra and Sonata and make the i45 a hit in its segment as well: if the Superb could do it, why not?
I had an Accent from 2001-07 and truly had an onwership experience to remember: the service staff were sharp, they almost always resolved the problem on time and at reasonable cost, and, best of all, the car was trouble-free, zippy and reasonably loaded for the time. It is a testament to Hyundai's strategic intent and marketing acumen that a 10 year old car- actually TWO of them- still sells more than 1000 units a month.
More power Hyundai. Though I am not a customer anymore, would you believe I still chat with my former service advisor (who is now a service manager) and he keeps me updated about what's going on, new launches planned etc. Clearly the company has got something right.

[vishygk]

Originally Posted by arvi86

While I am not trying to spoil your party, I just want to state the fact that Top Gear UK hates Hyundai and Kia. They are very very partial on them and love to praise every Ford and Honda. While Ford and Honda deserve every bit of the appreciation, Hyundai no longer deserves to be bashed upon like what they do.

When Autocar UK can praise the i10 so much and declare it as one of the Top 10 Cars, Top Gear UK need not praise it, but atleast they can refrain from bashing it up.

Totally agree, the Top Gear Reviews seems to be extremely prejudiced againts certain brands and seem to have little objectivity, I used to be a regular follower of this particular show a few years back, but not anymore.

Colonial Hangover Maybe ??

I now follow only team-bhp ..

[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by arvi86

I just want to state the fact that Top Gear UK hates Hyundai and Kia. They are very very partial on them and love to praise every Ford and Honda.

I didn't know that. I never saw a Hyundai or a Kia reviewed or driven in Top gear/ Fifth Gear/ Wheels. And also, we cannot exactly match with the UK sentiments. [A few days back, they were testing 4 top executive saloons in a park, and they were not even ready to see the Porsche. Can you imagine turning away from a Porsche. A white huge gleaming Porsche saloon, and they bash it. I simply cannot relate myself with them].
I guess the people in UK are spoilt for choice. And have something in them for speed. The top 2 selling cars today in UK are the Fiesta and the Focus RS.

Yesterdays episode was a race between the old Escort and the new Focus around a track. There was another shootout between the Mini and the Citroen Cleo for the fastest super mini. They were scorching around race tracks, screeching tyres around every corner, riding the kerbs to the fullest.

I Guess Hyundai falls flat when thrown into these situations. Their criteria for a car is always the speed or the handling it carries. No wonder they are biased.
Yes you are right, the show is more of entertainment than an actual car review.

Tried searching as to why they hate Hyundai or Kia.
And I wondered why Top Gear hates Kia and Hyundai... now I agree. - Motor Trend The General Forum Forum
Did not find any good answers.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by akhilesh

...I have never come across a Hyundai in India which is good to drive ...

That's quite a sweeping statement. Care to elucidate?

If you mean they don't have any models that are enthusiast cars, probably you're right, otherwise I don't see the sense in what you said. The i10 is great to drive in the city, and so is I imagine the i20. The Accent/Verna are lovely to drive too, except that their boaty handling at high speeds disappoints the enthusiast in one.

You can't sell millions of cars if you offer cars that aren't "good to drive". Period.