[manishalive]

Well, you can get lemons sometimes. To talk of big difference between arai and actual figures there are 100 of variables. So it is very difficult to comment and very easy to get away . But I know how people play trick without saying lie. I work for generator business and do lot of costing, so know quite a tricks of game.

[vnabhi]

It is good to know that tall claims are under scrutiny in the US. It might take eons for such claims in India to come under government scrutiny.

I agree that tall claims by manufacturers are quite misleading and it should be mandatory to quote only ARAI figures. And it is not only one but many who have done so in India. Even MUL did it when the WagonR was introduced in the year 2000--they quoted figures like 28 kmpl in their Getaway magazine. The maximum I got in my 11+ years of ownership is 17 kmpl!

[CARDEEP]

3 of Hyundai owners in US, who bought the cars over overstated mileage claims, have sued the company, despite the Korean concern & sister (Kia) admitting fault & retracting the mileage claims. Here is the link to report:

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs...c-043a54c74e03

These company will now be compensating the owners as well as doling out millions against damages claimed by such owners. Bad times for the companies as their profits as per books are not in good shape (if I remember correctly).

[volkman10]

Hyundai, Kia face $775 million U.S. suit over mileage claims.

Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America have been hit with a second U.S. civil suit seeking class-action status after the companies admitted to making bogus fuel-economy claims.

The latest was in U.S. Central District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of 23 plaintiffs. It seeks $775 million in compensation for owners who say resale values have been damaged by the companies' inflated fuel-economy figures.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2012...#ixzz2BiQpv3hd

[volkman10]

Hyundai has been busted before!

In 2002, Hyundai admitted that it had overstated horsepower ratings on 1.3 million vehicles. At the time Hyundai said it would make compensation payments of between $76 million and $127 million, while plaintiffs' lawyers projected the actual payout would be closer to $30 million.

In the 1990s, the EPA busted Hyundai for overstating horsepower on six vehicle lines and an unstated number of Kias with Hyundai engines spanning up to 11 model years. Ratings on some six-cylinder models were off by as much as 20 hp. Hyundai claimed the too-high numbers stemmed from improper testing procedures.

Come 2012 .Hyundai's recent fuel economy numbers have been questioned.
Now that the EPA has made the shortfall official, Hyundai is claiming an error in -- you guessed it -- testing methods in South Korea.

That an automaker with two distinct brands could mistakenly test 13 model lines, with several chief engineers running the programs, over a period of years seems like a reach.
But that's Hyundai's story, and Hyundai's sticking to it. Again.



http://www.autonews.com/article/2012...#ixzz2BzvWF6qQ

[1100D]

I am not sure if Hyundai (or for that matter any automaker) should be implicated thus based on EPA/ARAI figures. What these bodies (EPA - ARAI) do is to provide a common ground wherein different vehicles are tested in similar conditions which allow us to do an apples to apples comparison while buying. Its obvious that an end user will not get the same figures, however the ARAI figures definitely show how the others also stack up.

[volkman10]

Hyundai fuel-economy flap seen as tables turning for Honda. Hyundai's sales to drop due to false mileage claims.

People bought into the whole program: cool-looking cars that also offered great value, including high fuel economy,Now it turns out that one part of that formula wasn't true

Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. are promoting fuel-efficient new models. Still, no automaker stands to benefit from Hyundai's misstep as much as Honda. Hyundai sales may slide as much as 11 percent for the next few months, according to Strategic Vision, a consumer-research company that annually surveys 350,000 carbuyers.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2012...#ixzz2COoRq8eM

[volkman10]

U.S. consumers less willing to buy Hyundai, Kia after mileage woes, report says

U.S. consumers have become less willing to buy cars from Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. since the South Korean automakers admitted overstating the fuel economy of some of their vehicles

The "purchase intent" for Hyundai's top-selling Elantra compact fell to 6.3 percent as of Nov. 18 from 6.7 percent on Oct. 28

The Elantra is one of four models that were falsely touted as "40-mile-per-gallon" cars. The other three models -- Hyundai's Veloster and Accent and Kia's Rio -- also suffered declines in purchase intent.

Kia's Soul saw the largest fall in purchase intent, down 1.9 percentage points to 7.3 percent from 9.2 percent. Fuel economy for the Soul was overstated by 6 miles per gallon on highways, the biggest overstatement among the vehicles involved.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2012...#ixzz2CxSKU81z

[romeomidhun]

Source: http://www.cisionwire.com/sokolove-l...gures,c9340717

"Hyundai Motor America is facing a putative class action lawsuit for consumer fraud violations after the company acknowledged it accidentally exaggerated mileage estimates regarding the fuel economy of certain vehicles. Law360 (subscription required) reports that plaintiff Joel L. Lipman filed a suit in Illinois state court contending that the company was intentionally deceptive in overstating the fuel efficiency of its vehicles at 40 miles a gallon"

Now, the legal actions have started. Will all those who bought Hyundai and Kia will get the extra fuel expense they incurred compared to the offered mileage?

[volkman10]

For Hyundai and Kia, a warning from Congress over mpg claims.

Hyundai Motor America President John Krafcik and Kia Motors America President Byung Mo Ahn have not received such an ominous invite from Washington. And today, the chairman of the U.S. Senate committee that oversees fuel economy fired a warning shot

Hyundai and Kia's plan to compensate owners of affected vehicles for extra fuel costs, plus a 15 percent penalty

http://www.autonews.com/article/2012...ver-mpg-claims[/COLOR]

[arjab]

Interesting article in Economic Times today. Seems Hyundai USA is now going overboard to make amends and other OEM's are getting jittery too.

Wish this kind of accountability to customers is also there in our country !

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/17424699.cms

Source: Economic Times

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by arjab

Wish this kind of accountability to customers is also there in our country !

But isn't it ARAI certified figures ( in India) that are quoted in the manufacturer's brochure?

So ARAI will be accountable?

Cheers!

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by volkman10

But isn't it ARAI certified figures ( in India) that are quoted in the manufacturer's brochure?

So ARAI will be accountable?

Cheers!

Yes ARAI figures are accountable, that's the governmental body and the buck stops there. Comparing ARAI figures of cars in similar segement is the first thing for mileage seekers.

[CARDEEP]

Can't resist pointing out the differences in the functioning of EPS (US Environmental Protection Agency) & ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India), both of which are government agencies functioning for the same cause.

The EPA allows manufacturers to claim best (or hypothical... as in this case) mileage figures, but checks the vehicles on a random basis, as against ARAI, which actually checks & certifies mileage figures (run in controlled environment) for all cars. Due to this, EPA hasn't been made a party to the case, & it has come out unscathed, despite being simply lazy (as reporting high mileage figures should have been a clear case to check & verify the same). This is the reason why Hyundai image in US has taken a beating as of a cheat & fewer customers are willing to buy a Hyundai after the incident.

So in US there are organisations like Consumer Reports (a widely reputed & followed), which work for benefit of customers, & it is their efforts that have bore fruits, & made the auto-giant eat the humble pie. In fact, EPA checked the figures much after these organisations had tested the cars.

Unfortunately, there is no such independent organisations in India, & the ARAI does not has enough powers, which could have otherwise forced manufacturers (Indian or premium European or other Asian) to offer better products/ services in India.

[NinadJoshi]

Ford busted by Consumer Reports for the same issue (as Hyundai above), for the CMax and Fusion hybrids.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...212036096.html
(There are some hilarious comments by readers on this article. Do not miss them).

Consumer reports quotes:"The result: the C-Max averaged 37 mpg, while the Fusion Hybrid hit 39 mpg. It's the largest difference between window-sticker figures and its testing that the magazine has seen. Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, says this means "most buyers won't get anything near 47 mpg in the real world."