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Hyundai Motor Looks to World With High Quality

D

Dacalo

Diamond Member
Facing such difficulties, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group is doing its best to cope with the crisis. While trying to cut various costs on the one hand, it is also stepping up its efforts to improve quality of its products and fortify publicity activities on the other.

Most of all, the company has been exerting endeavors to develop high value-added vehicles to pull up its sales and net profits. Hyundai Genesis, which made its debut last April, presents the direction that the company should follow to survive the global competition.

Genesis is the concept model of a new RWD premium sedan, project-named ``BH,?? which will be unveiled in December. Hyundai Motor aims to enter the premium car segment with the upcoming BH sedan.

The company?s image abroad has so far been confined to the recognition of a brand selling relatively low-priced economy vehicles, compared with the other global makers such as BMW, Benz and Toyota.

In the domestic market, small- and mid-size cars such as Click, Avante and Sonata allow about 10 percent of profit margin while such large cars as Grandeur gives some 15 to 20 percent.

Sales of the company topped 27.33 trillion won last year, but the operating profit remained at around 1.23 trillion won, which caused the company to focus more on development of high value-added premium models.

With the 3,800cc- and 4,600cc-class models, the BH luxury sedan is directly targeting BMW?s 5 series and Mercedes-Benz?s E-Class. Hyundai Motor plans to release the 3,800cc-model in the domestic market first and then export the 4,600cc model to the United States next year.

Hyundai Motor?s efforts to enhance the quality of its products have already been coming into fruition. Santa Fe has taken top place in the mid-size crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) category six times in the past seven years in the annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) by AutoPacific Inc.

Motor Trend, the world?s leading car magazine, also praised the 2007 Veracruz in its July edition over Japan?s luxury SUV Lexus RX350. The Veracruz was rounded up as ranking first place in terms of design, interior, price and speed, beating out the Japanese crossover utility vehicle (CUV).

Officials said the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has a long-term vision to take a second leap in the coming years through enhancement of quality, development of new cars including hybrid vehicles and improvement of profitability, while coping actively with the exterior variables such as the fluctuating exchange rates.
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Source

The Veracruz seems interesting, it's gettin rave reviews.

EDIT: Doh, forgot about The Garage.
 
Motor Trend, the world?s leading car magazine, also praised the 2007 Veracruz in its July edition over Japan?s luxury SUV Lexus RX350. The Veracruz was rounded up as ranking first place in terms of design, interior, price and speed, beating out the Japanese crossover utility vehicle (CUV).


Since when is MT the world's leading car magazine. If you go by world sales, popularity, estimated reader base, just what you hear, and advertising dollars, C/D wins every time.



Also I remember driving Santa Fe's when they first came out as demos and I was impressed, so I am not surprised they have done it again. (No dealership in the country had ordered enough Santa De's for their floor plan to keep up with the demand.)
 
"You wanna know why? 'Cuz you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight; I drove an eighty thousand dollar BMW."
 
Originally posted by: Steve
"You wanna know why? 'Cuz you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight; I drove an eighty thousand dollar BMW, or actually I would have if it wasn't in the shop."
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Fixed for reality.
 
Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
Originally posted by: Steve
"You wanna know why? 'Cuz you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight; I drove an eighty thousand dollar BMW, or actually I would have if it wasn't in the shop."
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Fixed for reality.
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Did somebody say electrical problems?
 
Originally posted by: Steve
Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
Originally posted by: Steve
"You wanna know why? 'Cuz you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight; I drove an eighty thousand dollar BMW, or actually I would have if it wasn't in the shop."
Click to expand...

Fixed for reality.
Click to expand...

Did somebody say electrical problems?
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I don't see VW Jetta mentioned anywhere...? 😛
 
I aplaud them for their efforts but I think they should develop these new luxury cars under a different name, like Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. Even though they're making great progress most consumers still think Hyundai as cheap, econo cars. By using a different name it can help defused this mind set with consumers.
 
Originally posted by: jtvang125
I aplaud them for their efforts but I think they should develop these new luxury cars under a different name, like Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. Even though they're making great progress most consumers still think Hyundai as cheap, econo cars. By using a different name it can help defused this mind set with consumers.
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So you'd rather them choose a new name for a luxury line admitting that their current one equates to cheap?
 
Originally posted by: Lotheron
Originally posted by: jtvang125
I aplaud them for their efforts but I think they should develop these new luxury cars under a different name, like Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. Even though they're making great progress most consumers still think Hyundai as cheap, econo cars. By using a different name it can help defused this mind set with consumers.
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So you'd rather them choose a new name for a luxury line admitting that their current one equates to cheap?
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He's got a point though....marketing does wonders.
 
In my quest for a mid-size SUV, I test drove the top of the line Veracruz model a couple weeks ago, and really was not impressed. For the price (IIRC, > $35,000), it just didn't have the feeling of "luxury" that I got in some of its other price competitors. Nice looking on the outside, but the interior desperately needs work to justify the price.
 
I would have no problem buying a Hyundai if they sell a car I'm interested in. I don't like the look of the Veracruz, but I think they have a decent product there. The Sonata and the Santa Fe seem to be quite solid. If that Genesis concept ends up anywhere near as nice when it comes to production, it could be really promising.
 
Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
Motor Trend, the world?s leading car magazine, also praised the 2007 Veracruz in its July edition over Japan?s luxury SUV Lexus RX350. The Veracruz was rounded up as ranking first place in terms of design, interior, price and speed, beating out the Japanese crossover utility vehicle (CUV).


Since when is MT the world's leading car magazine. If you go by world sales, popularity, estimated reader base, just what you hear, and advertising dollars, C/D wins every time.



Also I remember driving Santa Fe's when they first came out as demos and I was impressed, so I am not surprised they have done it again. (No dealership in the country had ordered enough Santa De's for their floor plan to keep up with the demand.)
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The source was from a Korean news outlet...
 
Originally posted by: Lotheron
Originally posted by: jtvang125
I aplaud them for their efforts but I think they should develop these new luxury cars under a different name, like Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. Even though they're making great progress most consumers still think Hyundai as cheap, econo cars. By using a different name it can help defused this mind set with consumers.
Click to expand...

So you'd rather them choose a new name for a luxury line admitting that their current one equates to cheap?
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I don't see how it equates to cheap, just a different line of vehicle.
 
Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
Originally posted by: Steve
Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
Originally posted by: Steve
"You wanna know why? 'Cuz you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight; I drove an eighty thousand dollar BMW, or actually I would have if it wasn't in the shop."
Click to expand...

Fixed for reality.
Click to expand...

Did somebody say electrical problems?
Click to expand...

I don't see VW Jetta mentioned anywhere...? 😛
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That's because the person "driving" it had it break down and couldn't make it to work.
 
Originally posted by: The Cornballer
u gotta be something before you can be something
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Nah, just make your cars only come in black, white, champange, and silver. Because I swear those are the only colors that I ever see Lexus, Acuras, and Mercedes in unless it's an Integra. Then it looks like an Andy Warhol painting.
 
this is somewhat similar when vw released the phaeton. it was in a much higher segment than what vw competes in and didn't do to well. i stopped following it shortly after that so i don't know what they did...did they revisit and rerelease it as an audi?
 
Sorry to bump an old thread, but I just bought the VeraCruz.

Originally posted by: Jeeebus
For the price (IIRC, > $35,000)...
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You don't remember correctly. 😀 If I had $35K to spend, I would have had more options. But the VeraCruz has two different packages under $30K. $35K would've bought you one with all possible options (rear DVD w/ wireless headphones, heated seats, etc.)
 
I love my Sonata and I am glad the company is doing well. I would love to get another Hyundai when my lease expires (I leased because I got a good deal and I had very limited choices coming straight out of college with no savings and a lot of debt). I don't have many complaints about the quality and the interior does have a cheap feel to it but I went for the base model and its pretty loaded for what I pay for it.
 
Hyundai already has a low end product...it's called Kia.
They NEED to produce a high-end product; I think they'd be more successful launching a new brand. The hyundai brand while recently has done o-k relative to say the domestics, it's not going to cut into the Lexus, Acura, Infiniti markets.
 
Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
this is somewhat similar when vw released the phaeton. it was in a much higher segment than what vw competes in and didn't do to well. i stopped following it shortly after that so i don't know what they did...did they revisit and rerelease it as an audi?
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the phaeton shares the platform with the A8, but it (the phaeton) was simply killed off. i believe it has a bit of a cult following, though i agree - why buy a 66k VW when the audi A8 starts at 6k more?

i heard rumors some time ago of vw considering reviving the phaeton, but it'd have to be a much lower price point for people to realistically consider it, i think.
 
I don't agree. The subject here is "high quality," not "overpriced."

I'm not the kind of guy to pay for fluff. Why buy a Lexus, Acura or Infiniti when I can get the same thing, for practical purposes, in a Toyota, Honda or Nissan?

The VeraCruz is under $30K even nicely equipped. What do I get for a "premium brand?" Nothing. I'd have to spend at least $35K and all I get is a bunch of bells, horns and whistles that don't make the car any "better" than something less expensive.

If Hyundai ever got into "premium" vehicles, I'm sure they'd come out with a premium brand like everyone else. For now, I'd rather just get a really good, decent quality brand for little money. 😉
 
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