In motion by Richard Webb
A relative newcomer to the South African marketplace having arrived around a decade ago, Hyundai is the Korean automotive brand with a much-improved product line up. Characterised by an affordable price and high quality offering, the brand backs up its products with long warranties, making it an attractive choice for many. Whilst the brand may seem to have appeared almost ‘out of nowhere’, its history points to a dogged determination to rise to the top. In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company and by the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to cars. Korean government policy at the time favoured the importation of cars rather than encouraging local manufacture, but, undeterred, Chung ploughed on and in 1967, he started the Seoul based Hyundai Motor Company. The company teamed up with Ford in 1968 to assemble Hyundai’s first car, the Cortina, followed by the Ford 20M and Granada. Their first car designed and built in Korea was the lackluster Pony. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technical expertise, resulting in the first Sonata. But Hyundais were dogged by poor reliability and sales were sluggish. The early 1990s saw Hyundai invest heavily in new product development and a concerted effort to improve quality and reliability.
take a bow Its introduction to the local motoring scene was not without its hiccups – but this Asian brand has persevered and won over the public who now know that its name rhymes with Sunday...
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Jan|Feb 2013 Vol 04
Jan|Feb 2013 Vol 04
www.topsatspar.co.za 67