Hyundai tops Brand Keys customer loyalty survey

Hyundai has been on an extended roll these last few years, and car buyers have apparently noticed. The Korean automaker’s sales have been steadily climbing, and new products like the Sonata and Elantra only help matters. Winning new customers is obviously a large part of Hyundai’s recent success, but it’s important to keep current owners in the fold as well.

Hyundai is apparently doing just that, as Brand Keys has named Hyundai the brand with the best customer loyalty. Brand Keys President Robert Passikoff pointed out Hyundai’s ability to meet customer expectations, adding that the car maker “scored the highest levels of loyalty when it comes to the Automotive category.”

After Hyundai, the top six automakers were Ford at number two, followed by a tie for Honda and Nissan and another dead-lock for BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Hit the jump to read over the press release.

Source:Autoblog

Hyundai may import Elantra from Korea to meet surging demand

The rakish 2011 Hyundai Elantra hit North American dealerships late last year, priced from $14,830 (*excluding $720 for destination). In December 2010, Elantra sales totaled 13,096 units, up from 5,763 in 2009, and this high demand for the new Elantra may be higher than the Korean automaker had originally anticipated.

This increased demand has prompted Hyundai to consider importing some Elantras from Korea. Currently, Hyundai produces U.S.-market Elantras at its Montgomery, AL plant. This facility’s annual production capacity, which stands at 330,000 total units, may not be enough to satisfy America’s thirst for the stylish compact. Recently, Hyundai spokesman Frank Ahrens told Automotive News that:

If Elantra does what we think, hope it will do, it will mean we’ll have to export them from Korea. We’re pretty bullish on it, given the reviews it’s received so far and the price.

The 2011 Elantra is $1,445 cheaper than a base Chevrolet Cruze and $1,440 less than a base 2012 Ford Focus, which makes Hyundai’s model a pocketbook-friendly alternative to its main competitors in the compact class.

Source:Autoblog

Hyundai Group Overtakes Ford and Becomes World's Fourth Largest Automaker

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company that includes KIA has overtaken the Ford Group in the first half of the year to become the fourth largest carmaker in the world selling 2,153,000 units or 8,000 more vehicles than the US giant in the same period, according to figures published by the Automotive News Data Centre. Only a decade ago, the then newly unified Hyundai and Kia company was in 11th place overall.

The Korean automaker attributed the growth to its decision to create factories in several countries including Slovakia, the United States and China that built products designed and engineered specifically for local markets.

“Results for all of last year saw Hyundai-Kia trail Ford by around 1,000,000-units, but by reducing the impact of the global recession by producing the right product for the right times, the group has managed to take fourth place much quicker than had been predicted,” the South Korean automaker said in a prepared statement.

While the economic downturn has taken its toll on all of the top 10 automakers, Toyota managed to hold on to the first place with 3,564,105 units (-26% compared to H1 2008) followed by General Motors that sold 3,552,722 vehicles (-21.8%) and the Volkswagen Group that was the less affected by the slowdown (-5.1%) with 3,100,300 units sold in the first half of the year. Ford slipped to fifth place with 2,145,000 vehicles sold (-30.6 %).

Global Sales – first half of 2009

Manufacturer

H1 2009

H1 2008

% change

1

Toyota

3,564,105

4,815,442

-26.0

2

General Motors

3,552,722

4,541,125

-21.8

3

Volkswagen

3,100,300

3,265,200

-5.1

4

Hyundai-Kia

2,153,000

-

5

Ford

2,145,000

3,093,000

-30.6

6

PSA Peugeot-Citroen

1,586,900

1,844,700

-14.0

7

Honda

1,586,000

2,022,000

-21.6

8

Nissan

1,545,976

2,013,611

-23.2

9

Suzuki

1,152,000

1,283,000

-10.2

10

Renault

1,106,989

1,326,164

-16.5

Hyundai bringing Curb concept to Detroit Auto Show

Hyundai has announced that it is bringing a new crossover concept – the Curb – to the 2011 Detroit Auto Show next week. We only have two teaser shots of the new CUV, and while the big wheels and overly swoopy lines are concept car-spec through and through, we won’t rule out the possibility of a sub-Tucsoncrossover coming down the pipeline in the next few years. The interior has been given the typical not-gonna-happen future-tech layout, but it is indeed eye-catching and definitely draws our interest.

The Curb concept will be rolled out on Monday, January 10, and we’ll be on hand to bring you the full suite of details and photos live from Cobo Hall. In the meantime, you can check out both teaser images in high-resolution glory in the gallery below.