When one plans to buy a new car the name Hyundai doesn't come readily to mind.Hyundai motors America is headquartered in Fountain Valley California.Hyundai vehicles are sold throughout the US through more than 755 dealerships nationwide.
Hyundai entered the US market in 1986 and has had a fair amount of success since then.This year it hopes to sell 500,000 cars and it has a market share of 3.1% which puts it ahead of better known rivals such as Mazda.BMW and Volkswagen.
The Hyundai models have improved a lot over the last few years.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) gave five-star crash test ratings, the highest government rating under the agency's New Car Assessment Program, to the all new 2007 Hyundai Veracruz and Santa Fe for both frontal and side impact crash tests.The 2007 Elantra also scored five stars for frontal crash performance and Veracruz earned four stars for rollover performance.Sixty-three
models were assessed.
The Veracruz SUV utilizes the latest in active and passive safety technologies,including standard Electronic Stability Control, Anti Lock Braking System with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, anti whiplash passenger cabin and six airbags.The Veracruz has engineered crumple zones and a host of other safety devices including a Tire Pressure Monitoring system which alerts drivers if any of the tires is under inflated.In the area of safety the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe ranked above the Toyota RAV4 and the Elantra beat out the Toyota Prius model in the compact car segment.
The Hyundai models perhaps lack the polish of their US and Japanese counterparts but they are darn close and if you consider that they cost about 20% less to buy, the difference becomes narrower still.In fact you no longer have to buy a Hyundai to save money.If you feel like saving money while buying something that is functionally as good and is a well conceived machine in its own right then a Hyundai is worth a second look.
The South Korean giant has aggressive growth plans and hopes to increase its US sales volume to more than 700,000 cars annually by the end of 2010, a 40% increase.Next week it plans to launch a new $150 million campaign in an effort to improve the Hyundai brand image.Its aim is to get rid of the image of being a value brand which sells only because of lower sticker prices.Experts acknowledge that its a brand issue and unless people have a good enough reason to change brands,they simply won't.With this in mind Hyundai plans to sell its total package rather than its price to consumers.Among other things it plans to offer attractive warranties and roadside assistance programs which are very important today to the consumer.
If this strategy clicks then we just might see more Hyundai cars on US roads in the near future.
