It's hugh. Juh.
Posted on 06/09/2009 8:33:36 AM PDT by Cronos
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group is recording the fastest growth among foreign carmakers in the U.S. market, filling the vacuum left by the troubled ``Big Three'' automakers.
In the January-to-April period, General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler sold 1.77 million vehicles in total in the U.S. for a combined 44.7-percent share, down 3.6 percent year-on-year in the wake of the bankruptcy protection for GM and Chrysler, according to industry experts.
All foreign makers benefited from the decline, but none of them outperformed the Korean maker in the first four months of the year.
Hyundai's market share rose 1.3 percentage points to 4.2 percent, while Kia also grew 1.0 percentage point to 3.1 percent.
Gains by Japanese makers were well behind ― while Honda and Nissan rose 0.4 percent and 0.1 percent respectively, Toyota lost by 0.6 percentage points to 16.2 percent in the four-month period.
Among European companies, Volkswagen led the way with a 0.7-percentage points growth to a 3.6 percent market share.
Hyundai lured new customers with its upscale Genesis sedan, and its latest Genesis coupe has also received positive reviews.
Korean analysts already expected Hyundai-Kia to benefit from the slumping U.S. giants.
GM started June by filing a request for court protection with a government-supported plan to create a more competitive maker worldwide, while Chrysler is already operating under court protection. Ford is facing $33 billion in overall debt.
``This is a chance for Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group to expand its share in the U.S. market. A slowing economy encourages consumers to seek cars that give more value for money,'' KB Investment & Securities analyst Sohn Myung-woo said, referring to the Korean maker's edge in compact- and small-sized models.
A recent report from Automotive Lease Guide, which specializes on used car and trade-in values, said Hyundai is estimated to register the highest gain in brand value this year among all makers.
YEP, we have friends who own TWO Hyundai’s....mid size cars.
Damn straight.
Yes. My Sonata was manufactured domestically.
Consumer Reports has some in the “Recommended” category.
With the 5 year bumper-to-bumper warranty, the only problem I’d see with owning one would be depreciation.
Funny that this doesn’t mention that they’ve been pushing Kias out the door at less than half price all over the place.
Sorry to rain on Automotive Lease Guide’s parade, but the idea that any used cars are going to gain trade-in value with the glut of 08 and 09 new cars that are gathering dust is kind of pie-in-the-sky.
That said, I’m glad that Hyundai is doing well. They’ve come a long way.
I drive a Tucson (got a good deal since my company has Hyundai as a client) and it has 60K miles and not one lick of trouble.
It's actually 6 years everything, 10 years powertrain.
I will second that 100%! I bought a minivan from Hyundai in January. Besides loving the ride, I found that my gas milage higway has gone past 25mpg as the miles on the vehicle went past 3000 (I get around 16 or 17mpg in town, but I tend to have a lead foot). It has a 3.8L engine and is geared to be very peppy in traffic. I use it for long trips and the miles just float by. I have only one complaint, so far: I have tried to get rainguards for the door windows and Hyundai is not allowing the current versions to be sold through their dealerships due to adhesive problems. ... Which may be another integrity thing in their favor, come to think of it.
We bought a Hyundai Azera 2 years ago. Best car we’ve ever purchsed.
The Tau V8 is Hyundai's first internally engineered 8 cylinder engine and Hyundai's first V8 equipped vehicle offered in North America. The 4.6L engine produces 375 horsepower (280 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 333 lb·ft at 3,500 rpm.[15] Hyundai has reported 0-60 mph times of less than 6 seconds.[12][16] Car and Driver reports a 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds,[17] while Motor Trend reports a 0-60 mph time of 5.5 seconds in their October 2008 issue.
So "Government Motors" will be producing what kind of cars? Green econoboxes? I hope the feds move quickly with this kind of "stimulus" - the quicker they kill GM for all to see the better.
Apparently, they said that super deep discounts could be expected. Dang right on that—I wouldn't sell my stuff to Democrats (who bankrupted me) for pennies on the dollar when I could sell it to customers for the same.
They just opened a new dealership in my town.
Kia has a plant in West Point, GA (close to the GA/AL line.) 2,800 employees. 1.2 billion dollar investment.
I bought one in 2002 because of the warranty. I’m ready to buy my next one. Most trouble free vehicle I’ve ever owned of the 2 Fords, 3 Chryslers and 3 GM products I’ve owned since 1971.
Aha, I see it now. Obama is trying to get a war with North Korea so they can wipe out Government Motors’ competition.
(Tin foil firmly fastened.....or is it?)
Yeah, but the idea of having an Obama Motors warantee probably doesn’t have the same appeal as the Hyundai 5 year bumper-to-bumper.
I hear the new Jeeps are pretty lousy in terms of reliability. I had a ‘95 JGC and I loved it, but I don’t think I’d take the risk now.
I owned a 1988 Hyundai Excel. It was a piece of plastic crap; the worst car I have ever owned, and i swore I would never buy an Hyundai ever again.
Last week I rented (against my wishes, but it was the last mid-sized car they had) a 2009 Hyundai Sonata.
It took me about 5 minutes to realize that the Sonata was an excellent car- great pick up, very good handling, good fit and finish. I enjoyed driving it all week long, and would definitely buy a Hyundai at this point.
It's hugh. Juh.
Hyundais make great cars and have an incredible warranty..even the paint is warranted for 50,000 miles. At 50,000 miles my last GM car was falling apart. Too bad Hyundai didn’t buy GM ...they would be making great cars instead of Obamamobiles.
HOLY CHIT!
Just when I thought there was a place I could escape Billy “huge” Fucillo. . .
BAM!
they are building a large plant in Alabama. Not sure if it’s come online yet.
Sad, but I’m glad that there are additional choices now that GM and Chryslter are far, far out of my sphere of consideration.
The only thing that I want to give the Obamaloon administration would require me connecting my sewer pipe to the DC water supply.
We drive nothing but Hyundai and Honda. It’s our money and we are going to get the most out of it.
My husband’s (company) commuter car is a Hyundai Elantra, it gets great gas milage 39 mpg and cost around 13K. His company bought him one last summer. On the job he drives an F350.
His only complaint is “Don’t stop short! The car’s nose will hit the pavement.” An unstable suspension.
If you build it they will come.
I saw an Infinity G8 Coupe yesterday. It was a real head turner. This is the car with the retractable hard top.
It starts arounf $35k though.
Yes, the Sonata is manufactured in Montgomery, Alabama.
I new a mechanic that USED to make his living just repairing Hyundai’s. Not anymore.
He’s got the GLS model? See if he can upgrade to an SE with electronic stability control and a stiffer suspension.
Toyota, by their own admission, views Hyundai as their main competition on a worldwide basis, per a story I read a few months back. Hyundai has studied Japanese manufacturing methods and they’ve experienced a rapid increase in quality. They have massive manufacturing capability, which means millions of relatively inexpensive cars. A Toyota spokesman quoted in the story was very upfront about how much of a threat Hyundai was to Japanese auto makers.
You only have to look at Samsung, another S.Korean company, to realize how quickly things can turn around for a maker. They were pretty much a joke in terms of electronics up until the mid-late 90s, but if you check out their plasma and LCD HDTVs now, you’ll find they make some of the best in the business.
Korea makes great cars and films.
...ohhh, and Samsung makes great Hi Def TVs.
Huyandai’s have come a long way. They are as good as the Japanese, if not better.
Don’t forget the big Hyundai plant in Montgomery, AL. It has a test track and everything. Way cool. I’m going to look at a Hyundai today for a second car. I want a used SUV.
Nobody escapes from Billy. He’s bought up every piece of ad time on TV and the radio to hawk brand new _2008_ Kias and tell us how HU-JA the stock of unsold Kias is.
and great Blu Ray players. The Samsung P-3600 is the best Blu Ray standalone player there is. ( I don’t own one)
yep.. love my Sonata V6... good bang for the buck. great options. nice car.
The new Genesis coupe is something I really want to try for a personal town & road tripper. I'd love a nice RWD coupe that won't break the bank - the Mustang is just too much.
I currently drive an 550i and love it! I'm thinking of buying an Elantra as my commuter car, since I drive to Manhattan on a regular basis and want to keep the mileage down on the beemer.
The downside of Hyundai’s ever-improving reputation and quality is that they won’t be continuing to sell them at a discount to the Japanese brands forever. Somebody has to cover the low-price end of the market, though - I’m guessing that’s where the low end of GM’s and Chrysler’s products will continue to play.
Yes, hyundai got a wake up call in 2000 and have improved their quality by leaps and bounds ever since
you’re right abotu Samsung. They came out of nowhere and now they are Sony’s main competitor.
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