SPECIAL REPORT: The next Toyota?

[ColonelPanic]

Nice article on Hyundai....Quote »SEOUL, South Korea -- Toyota Motor Corp. may scare Detroit's automakers, but there's one rival out there that worries Toyota.It's South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. Already the fastest-growing major automaker, Hyundai says it wants to supplant Toyota as the industry's vehicle quality leader in three years. http://www.detnews.com/2005/sp...9.htm

[ArcsVibe]

Wow and to think a decade or so ago they were a huge joke!

[Mr. Poopypants]

Quote, originally posted by ArcsVibe »Wow and to think a decade or so ago they were a huge joke!I still think they are. (for the most part)They have yet to put out a product that really impresses me.

[nismo]

Umm, let's see, the new Sonata. V6 235 horses out of a 3.3L motor. I think that is something to be somewhat impressed about. Also the fact that 2 out of every I think 100 Sonatas go bad. And for tuners, I have heard that the Tiburon responds very well to mods as well. Inder

[Mr. Poopypants]

Quote, originally posted by TRD4reel »Umm, let's see, the new Sonata. V6 235 horses out of a 3.3L motor. I think that is something to be somewhat impressed about. Also the fact that 2 out of every I think 100 Sonatas go bad. And for tuners, I have heard that the Tiburon responds very well to mods as well. InderUnderstood, but I am still not impressed with their styling, they still need to make major improvements on the exterior look. They all look relatively the same.

[ArcsVibe]

The Tibby is such an awesome car to mod. Have seen some really nice ones around Montreal Before I bought the Vibe the Elantra GT was on my list.They have come a long way from the days of the Pony and Steller....

[soldierguy]

I'm a Hyundai supporter, and that's a direct result of me being around them all the time here in Korea. Good cars, good value, good reliability, and the styline and personality are getting better all the time.But I had to chuckle a bit when I read the article about Hyundai aiming at Toyota...makes it sound like Toyota is Hyundai's arch enemy #1. Yet some of Hyundai's high-end "halo" cars here in Korea are previous-generation Lexus LS-sedans that Hyundai has purchased the rights to build and sell here in Korea. Hmmmm....Lexus....wait a minute....isn't Lexus....gasp...it's a TOYOTA! Fact is, all of the Korean domestic market high-end sedans are previous generation Lexus, Mercedes Benz, or Nissan sedans that have undergone a light restyle and are produced locally here in Korea.Again, please dont get me wrong...I like Hyundais. But the irony of painting Toyota as their enemy is amusing when Hyundai's own high end line of cars includes cars originally designed and built by Toyota. For more info on this, go to http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=15599 or take a look at this pic. The link is to a thread I started on some of the Korean cars here...Ssangyong is owned by Hyundai...Ssangyong is to Hyundai what Lexus is to Toyota in the US.

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[redlava]

The second generation Tiburon is MUCH better looking than the first gen. The huge fender flares on the first gen were hideous. Especially with the 1 inch wheels. There is a really nice looking black one a few blocks away from my apartment. Always have to admire it whenever I see it.

[sylvainber]

meanwhile though hyundai is learning how a lexus is built. based on what they've done in the entry and mid segments in the last 10 yrs, i would not be surprised if they succeed in the luxury segment in another 5-10 yrskorean manufacturers were treated as a joke in the US 10 yrs ago. they are now prominent in consumer electronics (samsung anyone) and are now making inroads in the feature-rich-at-a-competitive-price home appliance market.more power to them

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by sylvainber »based on what they've done in the entry and mid segments in the last 10 yrs, i would not be surprised if they succeed in the luxury segment in another 5-10 yrsYou're certainly right about that! I find their success story to be quite fascinating. Even looking at the cheap econoboxes - a new Accent vs. an Excel made over a decade ago - unbelievable... The upcoming Accent due to arrive later this year is like a Caddy in comparison. They were at rock bottom in the '90s... But I noticed quite a change almost overnight when the dumped the Excel for the Accent starting in the 95 model year... After that, one by one the entire product line was replaced. And each new model was substantially better than the one it replaced, something they still seem to be doing to this day. Love Hyundai or hate Hyundai, it's pretty obvious that they really have improved dramatically, there should be no denying that! And they've done so in such a short time. Who would have thought ten years ago when they were really down the toilet, that they would eventually start catching up with the rest? And they're finally getting honorable mention when stacked up against the competition... Hyundai moved to 7th place overall last year, I believe, in the JD Power initial quality survey. Like Inder mentioned, the Sonata did win the "most reliable vehicle" award for only two problems per 100 vehicles for the '04 model year... What's quite interesting about that - the award was given to them by the undoubtedly Honyota-centric Consumer Reports. I bet they had a hard time accepting the fact that the award was going to a lowly Hyundai. However, they're still a very tarnished brand here in the US. That's sad, since I'm not so sure these cars are all that funny anymore. With the old Hyundai, they may very well have deserved their reputation - hell, I was even one of those who didn't particularly care for their products. Years later, now I find myself actually wanting to, and eventually will buy a new Hyundai. They still have a way to go before they're finally accepted here by the masses - but they're getting there. The only thing they can do is keep doing what they've been doing and hope that someday soon, people will start to take notice. It's hard to change people's minds.I think too, that if they apply what they've done with the "lesser" class of vehicles to the luxury cars, they may be on to something. Hyundai luxury hasn't sold too well from what it looks like... Sadly, they've really missed the mark when it comes to those cars. I don't really think that cars like the XG and Kia Amanti are too appealing over here. I'm weird anyway, but I actually wouldn't mind having one of those cars. I prefer a smooth, soft, geezermobile with lots of chrome and stuff instead of a luxury car with a bit of sporty attitude. I'm guessing the majority would like the later... But with things like the Santa Fe, they seem to have gone over well here. No doubt in my mind that Hyundai designing those specificaly for the needs and wants of America has helped them significantly. I really hope they consider taking that route for future luxury vehicles. But no matter how good the car, however, Hyundai is still going to have problems convincing Americans that Hyundai luxury is worth the price of admission. That's going to be a tough road ahead for them, I imagine.Buckle up, the next few years are going to be quite interesting. The new Sonata, the Azera, Accent, Elantra, etc - we're going to be bombarded with new models in a very short period of time. Once again, it's going to be out with the old, in with the new - in a big way.