Hyundai is a group of companies founded by Chung Ju-yung in South Korea. The first Hyundai company was founded in 1947 as a construction company, and the Hyundai Group eventually became South Korea's largest conglomerate company (Jaebeol).
Some of the best-known Hyundai organization are Hyundai Motor Company - the world's 5th largest automaker and one of the Big Asian Four (with Toyota, Honda and Nissan), Hyundai Heavy Industries - the world's largest shipbuilder, and Hynix - a top semiconductor manufacturer. Other companies currently or formerly controlled by members of Chung's extended family may be loosely referred to as a part of the Hyundai chaebol. Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea; Revenue: 32,189,786 million Won (2008); Net income: 1,447,904 million Won (2008)
Hyundai Group underwent a massive restructuring following the 1997 East Asian financial crisis and the founder's death in 2001. Today many companies are bearing the name Hyundai but are legally unrelated to the Hyundai Group. Some of the larger former members of the conglomerate include Hyundai Group, Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, Hyundai Department Store Group, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, and Hyundai Development Group.
Hyundai Motor Company (Hanja: Hyŏndae Chadongch'a Chusik-hoesa) (KRX: 005380) - a division of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, is the world’s fifth largest automaker in terms of units sold per year and one of the Big Asian Four (with Toyota, Honda and Nissan). Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Hyundai operates the world’s largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, which is capable of producing 1.6 million units annually. The Hyundai logo, a slanted, stylized 'H', is said to be symbolic of two people (the company and customer) shaking hands. Hyundai means "modernity" in Korean.
Management Philosophy
With the spirit of creative challenge, we will strive to create a more affluent lifestyle for humanity, and contribute to the harmony and co-prosperity with shareholders, customers, employees and other stakeholders in the automobile industry.
The spirit of creative challenge has been a driving force in leading HMC to where it is today.
It is the permanent key factor for HMC to actively respond to change in the management system and seek creative and self–innovative system. With the spirit of creative challenge, we create profits, the primary objective of a private enterprise. Furthermore, we take responsibility for the environment and society we belong to, and offer sustainable mobility in order to implement our corporate philosophy and provide benefits to all stakeholders including shareholders, customers, executives, employees, suppliers, and communities.
Research & Development
The S–Engine, the world's highest quality V6 engine, developed solely by Hyundai, achieves a powerful performance–generating 240 horsepower and super fuel efficiency. This engine boasts the most economical fuel efficiency available today. It not only offers fast response time, but also overcomes limitations of existing diesel engines. Its power output is equivalent to gasoline engines and it also meets the Euro 4 Environmental Regulation standards, proving this is the most advanced new concept diesel engine, with top quality engine performance, fuel efficiency, and environmental friendliness, all at the same time. The S–Engine, currently available in the Veracruz, is also attracting industry attention for its superb performance and fuel efficiency.
The Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Elantra, and Hyundai Tucson were selected as the 'Most Ideal' cars in three segments in Auto Pacific's 2007 Ideal Vehicle Awards, which conducts studies to determine if cars meet the needs and expectations of customers and selects the most ideal cars by calculating customer responses on 15 measurable points.
ECO Technology
Hyundai's hybrid electric vehicles improve fuel efficiency dramatically compared to existing gasoline–powered vehicles. They also comply with the low pollution vehicle standards of the 'Special Law on Metropolitan Air Improvement.' Hyundai will increase distribution of these cars to 1,530 units. By the end of 2009, the company will also complete development of hybrid electric cars, allowing for 50% improved fuel efficiency and 30% improved emissions, all the while minimizing the cost augmentation generally associated with alternative–fueled cars.
As a leading global automobile manufacturer, Hyundai Motor Company is developing hydrogen fuel–cell electric cars, with a firm belief in the environmentally friendly automobile market. The company is showcasing the Santa Fe, a first–generation fuel–cell electric car, the Tucson, a second–generation fuel–cell electric car, and the i–Blue, a third–generation fuel–cell concept car. The i–Blue boasts excellent performance, including 600 kilometers of single time driving distance and a top speed of 165 kilometers, and shows Hyundai's vision of leading the environmentally friendly automobile market into the future.
The Hyundai Tucson fuel–cell electric vehicle was selected as the world's best environmentally friendly car, the only car to receive an 'A' in all environmental evaluation categories at the 2007 Michelin Challenge 'Bibendum.' The Tucson fuel–cell electric vehicle was also the only car to receive a top grade in the noise evaluation category and the highest grade in fuel efficiency.
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) and fine particles (PM), which have a direct impact on people and the environment, are a challenge for automobile makers working for the reduction of automobile emission gases. Hyundai Motor Company, putting both people and the environment first, not only strictly controls the volume of its emission gases under each region's regulation standards, but also works to develop new technologies to achieve the ultimate goal of zero emission gases.
As high molecule materials such as rubber, plastic, and adhesives are widely applied in automobiles, interest in improving the air quality of new car interiors is increasing. As a result, Hyundai Motor Company has established evaluation standards with regard to the interior air quality of its new cars and is using products that satisfy these strict standards in its vehicles. In addition, since the beginning of 2008, Hyundai has been using only environmentally friendly materials that have passed the strict standards by measuring volatile organic compounds (VOC) in parts. Optimization to suppress creation of VOC volume in such areas as selection of raw materials and parts production methods in close cooperation with its affiliates is currently in progress.
Hyundai Motor Company is continually working to create a sustainable and recycling society by developing environmentally friendly cars, considering the entire process from acquisition of raw materials, development of new materials, to recycling and disposal. The QarmaQ, developed specifically as an environmentally friendly car by Hyundai, ushers in the future of environmentally friendly cars with a light weight body at a maximum 60 kilograms, thanks to advanced materials, by lowering fuel efficiency, and by dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Major new technologies applied to the QarmaQ, such as the 'C' shaped side window, using new materials other than glass, and the elastic front which reduces potential pedestrian injuries dramatically upon impact through a three–layer energy absorption structure, will be selectively applied to Hyundai's new future models.
Manufacturing
The Ulsan plant sits on a 1,233 acres site, more than 1.5 times the size of Yeo Eui Island in Seoul. It is Hyundai Motor Company's main production facility, comprised of five independent plants. It has over 34,000 employees and a daily average production capacity of 5,600 vehicles. The plant also has its own port where up to three, 50,000–ton ships can anchor at the same time. Being the world's largest, the Ulsan Plant is the birthplace of the Korean automobile industry and is a self–contained facility that operates its own fire station, hospital, and patrol cars. The Ulsan Plant is also equipped with cutting–edge facilities to protect the environment such as a waste–water and sewage treatment plant, securing Hyundai Motor Company's position as an environmentally friendly company.
The Asan Plant which mainly produces passenger cars for export, rests on a 450 acres site with a 360,000 meters² building that consists of production lines for machine press, auto frame, paint, assembly, engine, and a materials plant. It is an entirely self–contained, independent, automobile production complex, capable of an output of 300,000 mid– to large–size passenger cars, annually. Because the Asan Plant was established with the goal of creating a safety–first and environmentally friendly company, it was renovated with brighter colors. The Asan Plant also installed convenience facilities to create optimal working conditions, knowing that the quality of the working environment determines the quality of production.
The Jeonju Plant occupies a total of 326 acres of land and has 450,000 meters² of production space. It specializes in producing mid– to large–sized buses of 2.5 tons or more, trucks, and specialty vehicles. The Jeonju Plant is capable of producing 125,000 units per year and in terms of the plant's scale, it is deemed to be the world's largest commercial vehicle plant. In order to facilitate the development of environmentally friendly new products that can satisfy the demands of the international export markets in the 21st century and the development of an environmental management system, the Jeonju Plant is making an all–out effort. It also has a commercial vehicle development hub with the latest advanced equipment, enabling the development of 100 different types of commercial vehicles, as well as production facilities for buses, trucks, engines, and material plants.
In May, 2005, the Alabama Plant began mass production. Within one year, it achieved 10th place in the product quality category among 37 plants in North America. Hyundai Motor Company was the second company to enter the top 10 within one year of operation after Toyota's Indiana plant. A J.D. Power and Associates representative expressed his wonderment, saying "The Hyundai Alabama Plant will set the standard for all future new automobile plants in the world." With the addition of the Santa Fe to its production line in 2006, the plant has been developed into a facility that focuses on building mid– to full–sized, high function, high quality, and highly profitable vehicles.
The China Plant has a symbolic significance as the only passenger vehicle manufacturer located in China's capital city of Beijing. In addition, the plant also holds the strategic advantage of preemptive entry into the Chinese automobile market, set to emerge as an economic superpower after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Besides the existing first plant with its 300,000 units capacity, through the construction of the second plant with an annual production capacity of 300,000 units, Hyundai Motor Company plans to accelerate its advancing entry into the Chinese market as the number one automobile maker in China.
Hyundai's India plant is a comprehensive, self–sufficient automobile plant which enables new products to be independently researched, developed, manufactured, and sold so they can be suitable and localized for the Indian market. Its market share jumped to second place only two years after entering the Indian automobile market, discouraging other global competitors. In order to meet the increasing automobile demand not only in India, but also in Southwestern Asia, construction of the 300,000 units production capacity second plant in India was completed last October. The two world leading Hyundai India plants have ambition to be fully developed into a strategic point of Hyundai production Mecca.
Sales & Service
In 2007, Hyundai Motor Company realized solid growth in spite of a difficult sales environment. As a result, its annual overseas sales grew by 8% in 2006 compared to the previous year. Not only will Hyundai increase its brand image with luxury upgrades and standardization in CI worldwide, but also by adding to overseas sales by developing service programs. Furthermore, Hyundai considers prioritizing and achieving overall customer satisfaction with its products as the highest value sought by a company. By doing so the company is determined to keep its steady growth in overseas markets that will ultimately change the sales map of the global automobile industry.
With roughly 6,000 sales networks in 18 countries and 17 overseas production/sales bases, Hyundai Motor Company not only maintains a globally competitive product line–up through continuous quality improvement and the development of new technology, but also builds a solid foundation for local production in major markets. It operates second plants in the new and emerging markets of India and China and meets rapidly growing local demand with the 'i10' and 'i20' for India and the 'Elantra' for China. It will also continue to carry out diverse and effective brand power improvement strategies so that it can continue its climb as a world–class automobile brand.
For the first time in the automobile industry, Hyundai Motor Company has adopted 'Before Service', a new concept that means going the extra mile for our customers. Hyundai is trying to offer free maintenance service to our many customers around the world. As 'Before Service' is practiced on a company level, not only has the quality of service improved, but the scope of service has broadened. In some areas, charity organizations and organizations for the disabled that desperately need service are chosen to receive free maintenance services. Hyundai Motor's 'Before Service' is offered both in Korea and overseas. Each year, we offer free maintenance service to over one million vehicles in over 70 countries around the world. We have further upgraded our free maintenance service provided in our service centers to our overseas customers and go directly to parks, sports facilities, shopping malls, public agencies, etc. just as in Korea. We will extend the free maintenance service so that our global customers can also take advantage of these benefits. Breaking away from the stereotypical way of offering service in the past, Hyundai is making an ongoing effort to truly impress our customers by offering more proactive and customer–oriented service.
Since Hyundai Motor Company developed HGSI, a comprehensive customer service index, in 1996, we have conducted customer satisfaction studies in areas such as sales, repair, dealer facilities, customer experience, and more. Based on study results, we have gained insights into areas for improvement. As overseas sales expand, we have reinforced improvement of overseas dealers and dealer training. After conducting customer satisfaction surveys in each major market, we use the results to develop and implement new ways to improve our customer satisfaction levels. Information regarding areas for improvement is used also as a basic reference point for making policy decisions on the overall management of the company.
Hyundai In India
Hyundai is currently the second largest carmaker and largest auto exporter in India. It is making India the global manufacturing base for small cars. Hyundai sells several models in India as of the 2009 model year, one of the most popular being the Hyundai i10 and the Hyundai i20.The other models include Hyundai santro,hyundai Getz, Hyundai Accent,Hyundai Verna.
Hyundai electric vehicles
Hyundai plans to begin producing hybrid electric vehicles in 2009. The Avante will be the first vehicle to be produced.
Since 2004, Hyundai has supplied about 3,000 hybrid versions of its Getz and Accent small cars to government fleets as part of a testing program. The automaker cites a lack of local tax benefits for purchasing hybrids as a barrier to its hybrid development program. But Hyundai expects the tax situation to change in 2009.
The new hybrid electric Sonata will make its debut at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November 2008. Hyundai expects to release it in the U.S. market in 2010, featuring lithium-ion battery technology.
Hyundai environmental record
On April 23, 2008 Hyundai Motor announced the beginning of a five-year project to turn 50 km² of infertile land into grassland by 2012. Hyundai is doing so with the help of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM). The project, named Hyundai Green Zone, is located 660 km north of Beijing. The goal of the project is to end the recurring dust storms in Beijing, block desertification and protect the local ecosystem. Local weeds will be planted in the region that have the ability to endure sterile alkaline soil. This is the first environmental project of the company’s social contribution program.
Hyundai Motor plans to aid Chevron Corporation in the construction of up to six hydrogen fueling stations that will be located in California, including locations at the University of California-Davis and the Hyundai America Technical Center in Chino. Hyundai is going to provide a collection of 32 Tucson fuel cell vehicles, which are powered by UTC Fuel Cell power plants.
Motorsport
Hyundai entered motorsport by competing in the F2 class of the World Rally Championship in 1998 and 1999. In September 1999, Hyundai unveiled the Accent WRC, a World Rally Car based on the Hyundai Accent. The Hyundai World Rally Team debuted the car at the 2000 Swedish Rally and achieved their first top-ten result at that year's Rally Argentina, when Alister McRae and Kenneth Eriksson finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Eriksson later drove the car to fifth place in New Zealand and fourth in Australia. In 2001, Hyundai debuted a new evolution of the Accent WRC, which was intended to improve reliability, but the performance of the car was still not good enough to challenge the four big teams (Ford World Rally Team, Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Subaru). However, at the season-ending Rally GB, the team achieved their best result with McRae finishing fourth and Eriksson sixth.
For the 2002 season, Hyundai hired the four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen, along with Freddy Loix and Armin Schwarz. Kankkunen's fifth place in New Zealand was the team's best result, but they managed to edge out Skoda and Mitsubishi by one point in the battle for fourth place in the manufacturers' world championship. In September 2003, after a season hampered by budget constraints, Hyundai announced withdrawal from the WRC and planned to return in 2006, this has never happened though.
In 2006, following the announcement that Korea was scheduled to earn a Formula 1 Grand Prix race, Hyundai announced that they plan to enter the sport. Development has since been ongoing and it hopes to appear for the first time in 2010, the same season in which Korea plans to make its grand prix calendar debut, this though will depend on the situation of the recent global financial slowdown of the Asian car industry.
Electric propulsion
Hyundai plans begin producing hybrid electric vehicles in 2009. They are going to use Hybrid Blue Drive, that includes lithium polymer batteries, instead of lithium-ion. The Avante will be the first vehicle to be produced. Other are the Santa Fe Hybrid, the Elantra, Sonata Hybrid (to the U.S. market in 2010) and the Hyundai i20, which will replace the Hyundai Getz. Hyundai BLUE-WILL is a plug-in hybrid.
Hyundai model lineup
SUVs and Vans:
- Hyundai Entourage (similar to the Kia Sedona)
- Hyundai Galloper (Rebadged Mitsubishi Pajero) (Originally produced by Hyundai Precision Industry)
- Hyundai Grace (1st generation was a rebadged Mitsubishi Delica)
- Hyundai H-1/Satellite/Starex/Libero/H-200
- Hyundai H-1/iMax/i800
- Hyundai H-100 Grace / Porter
- Hyundai HD1000 (Minibus/Porter)
- Hyundai Porter (1st generation was a rebadged Mitsubishi Delica)
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Hyundai Starex
- Hyundai Terracan
- Hyundai Trajet
- Hyundai Tucson
- Hyundai Veracruz
Commercial vehicles:
- Ford D Series
- Ford DK Series
- Ford R Series
- O303 Benz Bus
- HM 1620 urban bus
- HM 1630 suburban bus
- Hyundai 4.5 to 5-ton truck (Rebadged Mitsubishi Fuso Fighter)
- Hyundai 8 to 25-ton truck (Rebadged Mitsubishi Fuso Super Great)
- Aero (Rebadged Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Bus)
- Aero City
- Aero Town (e-Aero Town)
- Hyundai DQ-7
- Bison & 3ton Truck
- Chorus
- County (e-County)
- e-Mighty
- Hyundai FB
- HD160
- HD170
- Mega Truck
- New Power Truck
- Mighty (Rebadged Mitsubishi Fuso Canter)
- Mighty II
- Hyundai RB
- Super Truck Medium
- Super Truck
- Trago
- Universe
Hyundai Veloster 2012
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