Hyundai company was established as a construction company in 1947. Founded bu Chung Ju-Yung in South Korea, Hyundai is a group of companies with different divisions such as Hyundai Motor Company and Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The group ventured into automobile sector when Hyundai bought Kia Motors, owned by another South Korean company in 1998. Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the founder’s death in 2001, Hyundai underwent a revamp.
Broad range of vehicles with successful target market
South Korea’s largest car manufacturer imports several models into Malaysia such as Hyundai Avante, Matrix, Getz, Santa Fe, Coupe, Atos, Grandeur, Terracan and Tucson. Hyundai Avante was only launched recently in Malaysia. This new compact vehicle boasts 1.6 litre engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Together with Kia Motors, the Hyundai Motor Group is the fifth largest automaker based on annual vehicle sales in the world. This was in 2012 while only 4 years before that, Hyundai in itself is the eighth largest automaker in the world.
Technology and facilities
As one of the top automakers in the world, Hyundai has the largest integrated vehicle manufacturing facility in the world. From its Ulsan plant in South Korea, Hyundai is able to roll out 1.6 million cars each year with more than 75,000 employees globally.
Change in Design
In recent years, Hyundai embarked into a new phase which saw a lot of changes in terms of its vehicle designs. This is where the Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan enjoyed a lot of success in US when it was named the North American Car of the Year in 2009. Besides that, the Genesis garnered several top awards across the world as well.
A year later, Hyundai earned the Top Safety Award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 4 of its models. It was ranked in 2010 as the fourth-best automaker for reliability by Consumer Reports. Meanwhile, the newly-designed Hyundai Elantra took the North American Car of the Year in 2012.
Electric and Hybrid models
Hyundai is one of the earlier adopters of new technology in this industry. It started FFVs as far back as 1988 and continued to carry out testing in the next few years. In 1991, Hyundai rolled out its frist pure electric car, the Sonata EV. This would then be translated to its other models including the Sportage, Atos, Grace, Accent and Excel.
Their latest model is the Hyundai BlueOn which is a 5-door subcompact electric car. It was unveiled in 2009 as the electric version of their i10 which has since been enjoying a lot of success ever since.
The sportier look with curves and lines is designed to appeal to younger customers. Avante received facelift and the latest 2010 model can save up to 10 percent more fuel compared to the older generations.
Hyundai – Inokom ranked 7th in the top 10 best car brands in Malaysia for 2009. Statistics showed that the total units sold in 2009 was 7, 303 (only 1.4 percent). Inokom was founded on October 19, 2002. A joint venture project between Berjaya Group Berhad, Pesumals (M) Sdn Bhd, Renault, Hyundai Motor Company and Hyumal Motor Sdn Bhd, the corporation launched the first license-built Renault Traffic, Permas.
Subsequently thereafter, a rebadged Hyundai truck, Lorimas was launched in Malaysian market. Hyundai Atos assembled locally was introduced by Hyundai- Inokom not long thereafter. The new Hyundai Getz which is also assembled locally was launched in 2007. Another model assembled and manufactured by Inokom Corporation Sdn Bhd is Inokom Matrix. It is a joint venture partnership between Berjaya Group Bhd and Hyundai Motor Company with an assembly plant located in Kulim, Kedah.
