Interesting facts about Hyundai

Hyundai is a South Korean automobile manufacturer. It is the biggest car maker in the country as well as one of the top five biggest automobile companies in the world that have established a solid presence in the past few decades. But still, many people don’t know much about this brand. If you want to learn more, check out its history here. Check out these interesting facts about Hyundai that you might not know before today:

Meaning of the Brand’s Name

Hyundai is a Korean word which means ‘modernity’. This name perfectly suits the brand’s slogan, “New Thinking New Possibilities”.

In Hyundai automobiles, there is a slanted letter “H” which symbolizes two individuals shaking hands: a company’s representative and a satisfied customer”. This represents the trust and satisfaction between both company and consumer. The oval around the letter ‘H’ exemplifies the goal to make such deals around the world.

The Hyundai Company Was Established in The Year 1967 By Chung Ju-Yung

Hyundai Group started as a construction company on December 29, 1967. Twenty years later, its automotive arm Hyundai Motor Company was founded. It used to be one of Hyundai Group’s subsidiaries, but now the automaker is no longer affiliated with the former conglomerate.

The First Automobile to Offer A 10-year Warranty

Hyundai offers a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty. No automaker ever offered such substantial coverage up to this point before.

 

The World’s Largest Automobile Manufacturing Plant

Hyundai’s Ulsan Factory in South Korea is the biggest automotive manufacturing plant in the world whose production plant can manufacture around 1.6 million cars each year in over a dozen different models. Volkswagen plant doesn’t manufacture as many vehicles as Hyundai produces.

Thirty-four thousand workers are employed in Ulsan Factory which is a considerable number.

one of the most noticeable

The Famous Designer of Hyundai

Most of the people are not aware of the fact that the first model of Hyundai Excel was designed by the same man, Giorgetto Giugiaro who designed the famous cars, the BMW M1 and the Delorean DMC-12. But this model wasn’t sold well and accused of being cheap. However, Giorgetto has designed over 200 car models as well as firearms and cameras.

rolls own steel

Hyundai Rolls Its Own Steel

Hyundai manufactures its own steel in South Korea rather than sourcing it from suppliers, which is pretty much different from the standards that the automotive industry follow. The Hyundai Steel Co., Ltd. permits the automaker to manufacture and utilize high-quality steel in its vehicles at a low cost.

Hyundai First Exported to Canada

Hyundai exported the car Pony to Canada; this was their start in 1984. However, due to some issues of passing emission tests, it did not ship vehicles to the United States until 1986.

The Craze of Hyundai in Europe

Europe loves Hyundai so much that around 90% of Hyundai vehicles are sold in Europe. Now, the popularity of Hyundai vehicles has started growing in North America as well.

Hyundai Car is Featured in A Video Game

That car is known as the Hyundai Coupe, a sports car that was introduced by Hyundai in 1996 at the Geneva Motor Show. In the Australian and United States market, this model was called Tiburon which means ‘shark’. This car became quite popular because it was of low cost and more importantly, it was featured in popular video game series, ‘Need for Speed’.

Hyundai is the First and Only Automaker to Use Lithium Polymer Batteries

Hyundai, in collaboration with Kia, uses lithium polymer batteries in its Electric Vehicles while the rest of the automakers use the standard battery, i.e. lithium-ion battery in their electric vehicles. The battery used by Hyundai is lighter and more impact which results in higher energy content per cell.

Sonata and Elantra

Sonata and Elantra Make Up Exactly 50% Of the Sales

Despite Hyundai’s solid crossover lineup, it introduced the first generation of a popular sedan Hyundai Sonata, which was considered as the first model to be created from scratch. However, it used a 3.0liter V6 engine based on Mitsubishi 6G72 that arrived in 1990. Surprisingly, it emerged as one of the company’s top-sellers. The Sonata and Elantra have a combined 50% of Hyundai’s total sales – their strongest showing in the past five years.

Agreement of Hyundai and Ford Motor Company

Hyundai and Ford Motors signed an agreement in 1968 on the manufacturing of Ford vehicles in Korea, in the Hyundai assembly factory. According to this petition, Ford shared its production technology of light trucks and passenger cars.

Related article: Interesting Facts About Ford Motor Company

 

In a 2004 Survey, Hyundai was Ranked Second-Best by J.D. Power and Associates

And that demonstrates Hyundai Motor’s commitment to quality! As mentioned in the introduction, Hyundai is one of the top five biggest automobile companies in the world. It ranks fourth after General Motors, Volkswagen, and Toyota in the whole world. In Asia, Hyundai is the second-biggest carmaker after Toyota.

Hyundai Finally Broke The 10m Sales Mark in The US In 2015

At last, Hyundai made it to the 10 million vehicle sales mark in the US and did so in just under three decades. That’s no piece of cake for an Asian automaker in the competitive American automobile market. The primary factor for the South Korean automaker’s success is the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) which opened in 2005. The Montgomery, Alabama-based plant has manufactured over 2 million units, mostly the Sonata and Elantra.

Hyundai Motors Has its Roots in These Countries

Hyundai Motors holds production and assembly facilities in Turkey, South Korea, China, North America, India, Czech Republic, Brazil, and Russia.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels

Hyundai Hope on Wheels is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise money to fight and console children having pediatric cancer. In the beginning, the organization was a local initiative among New England Hyundai dealerships in 1998. Today after 21 years, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has been raising over $100 million for pediatric cancer patients.

Hyundai Car HCD-I, the basis For Future Successful Models

Hyundai conferred its first concept car HCD-I in the early 1990s which became quite popular for the basis of future successful models.

Numerous Sponsorships of Hyundai

Hyundai takes part in a number of sponsorships across the globe including National Football League (NFL), FIFA World Cup, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCA) Football, the Korea Football Association, UEFA Euro, the PGA Tour, and World Archery.

Hyundai’s story is rather interesting than most automobile companies – if you are interested in reading about Chung Ju’s story that how he rose from poverty to build one of the world’s biggest and most successful auto manufacturing company, then check out this book “Made in Korea: Chung Ju Yung and the Rise of Hyundai” by Richard M. Steers. Indeed, a story that shouldn’t be missed!

4th biggest automobile manufacturer

As said on the introduction slide, Hyundai is one of the top five biggest automobile companies in the world. It ranks fourth after General Motors, Volkswagen, and Toyota. In Asia, Hyundai is the second biggest car maker after Toyota.

broke the 10M sales mark

At last, Hyundai made it to the 10 million vehicle sales mark in the US, and did so in just under three decades. That’s no piece of cake for an Asian automaker in the competitive American automobile market. The major factor for the South Korean automaker’s success is the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) which opened in 2005. The Montgomery, Alabama-based plant has manufactured over 2 million units, mostly the Sonata and Elantra.

Chung Ju yung

Hyundai Group started as a construction company in 1947. Twenty years later, its automotive arm Hyundai Motor Company was founded. It used to be one of Hyundai Group’s subsidiaries, but now the automaker is no longer affiliated with the former conglomerate.

Hyundai Elantra

In 2012, the North American International Road Show Named the Hyundai Elantra as the ‘Car of The Year’

In 2012, Hyundai Elantra was named by the North American International Road Show as “North American Car of the Year,” definitely a big accomplishment and improvement compared to its stint in 2011 (where Sonata was just one of the nominees).

Hyundai Genesis 2009

In 2009, The Hyundai Genesis Was Named As “The North American Car of The Year”

The North American Road International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan named Hyundai Genesis as the “North American Car of the Year” in 2009. It defeated Ford Flex and Volkswagen Jetta TDI.