Hyundai Records Biggest Year In History
Hyundai New Zealand and Worldwide continue to become a global force in the automotive market. Bucking trends, setting new records and increasing brand value are just a few of the 11 months of highlights from January through to November in 2010.
(Vocus/PRWEB) January 19, 2011
For both, 2010 has been their biggest year in history. As well as supplying a record number of vehicles to happy owners, they have notched up an impressive list of accomplishments.
In the 11 months to end November, Hyundai sold a record 5,277 vehicles in New Zealand. Hyundai was the fifth largest supplier of private vehicles, just behind Holden and ahead of Ford.
At a healthy 16 percent, Hyundai grew by more than the national market average while in the passenger-vehicle market its growth was 17 percent, again above the national average.
Hyundai remains the number-one-selling diesel brand and Santa Feis the top-selling passenger diesel vehicle.
The ix35 arrived in 2010 and the fabulous new compact SUV, with the Korean girl emotionally chasing it in a popular TV commercial, came with the top safety rating of five stars from Euro NCAP and ANCAP.
Meanwhile Hyundai rocked the sedan market with the striking new i45, which promptly picked up a coveted Australian International Design Award.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Bill English officially opened a new dealership at North Harbour Hyundai in September, displaying world-class facilities under the Elite Dealer programme.
And everyday Hyundai owners joined pro drivers in Hyundai’s innovative entry in the AA ENERGYWISE Rally.
“It’s been our biggest year on record … and we expect 2011 will be even bigger again,” commented the Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai New Zealand, Tom Ruddenklau.
“But we are a proudly New Zealand company, 100 percent locally owned and operated throughout our dealer network, and we don’t count our success merely in sales – we are involved with Kiwis accomplishing great things all over the country.”
“In 2010 we have been active across a very wide range of community activities from sport to welfare support and more.”
“We’ll be doing that again next year, and beyond.”
In sport, Hyundai rode to the Football World Cup with the All Whites, bringing the FIFA Goodwill ball tour and the FIFA Fanfest to New Zealand. Meanwhile the brand is an active sponsor of the Hyundai A League and New Zealand’s own Phoenix club.
Then the World Rowing Champs came to Karapiro and Hyundai was a National Supporting Partner.
Hyundai athletes, lightweight rowers Storm Uru and Peter Taylor starred on the water – as did world-leading Olympic Laser sailor Andrew Murdoch. So did the competitors in the Hyundai Pro Longboard tour.
Hyundai’s unique Pinnacle mentoring programme graduated Adam Hall, who promptly won a stunning gold medal at the Paralympics in Canada. Talented Warriors rugby league player Elijah Taylor became the ninth athlete in Pinnacle.
In the rural community, Hyundai was a staunch supporter of Fieldays and the Young Farmer Contest.
Hyundai’s Beads of Courage campaign for the Child Cancer Foundation reached $2 million in funds raised and this year Mary Miller of Christchurch won a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe SUV by buying a bead.
Globally, Hyundai sold a record 3.3 million vehicles in the 11 months to November.
They were manufactured in South Korea and five Hyundai overseas plants: China, India, Turkey, USA, Czech Republic, with a sixth to open in Russia in 2011.
Hyundai, founded in 1967, is now the world’s fifth-largest automaker and includes more than two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates. It employs more than 75,000 people worldwide.
There was confirmation this year that it’s also the fastest-growing vehicle company in the world, with a dramatic rise in the value of its brand, up 9.3 percent to US$5 billion in an independent global study. No other vehicle brand could match that growth.
And Hyundai says it is just getting started.
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