Hyundai Cars Gain Global Recognition

Hyundai Motor Company has been blessed with three auspicious events since the beginning of this year, as it gains positive responses from overseas markets.

The nation’s largest automaker announced yesterday that its sedan Accent GLE (Verna) has been selected to be an official vehicle by the Indian government.

According to Hyundai Motor India, organizations under India’s Commerce Ministry and central authorities in charge of purchasing and product quality certification have recently allowed the automaker’s sedan, Accent GLE, sold exclusively in India, to be used by all Indian government ministries and agencies across the country.

The automaker explained that its cars have now earned the trust of not only the government but the general consumer, since India’s relevant authorities choose official vehicles through rigid evaluations and registration processes.

Arvind Saxena, senior vice president for marketing and sales of Hyundai Motor India, said, “We feel highly honored since Hyundai is now on the list of automakers officially certified by the government. Accent GLE is made for customers who want fuel-efficient compact cars.”

Hyundai Motor India hired former Indian Finance Minister Ashok Jha as its president in an effort to tap into the rapidly burgeoning local market, last year. The company made the decision based on expectations that the newly appointed president, who has close relations with local politicians and businessmen, would play a critical role in marketing and government relations.

Hyundai has also received good news from Russia.

Hyundai’s Accent reportedly became the bestselling imported car in Russia for the month of January this year. The country’s European Business Association released data that showed demand in Russia for the Accent doubled in a year.

Moreover, the automaker’s new passenger car Hyundai i30 has been chosen as the “2008 Car of the Year” in Spain.

Spain’s best car of the year is based on design, performance, safety and reliability, as assessed by journalists working for newspapers, auto magazines and television programs.

Hyundai`s i30 came in first with 220 points, far ahead of the Fiat 500 which received 52 points, and Ford`s Mondeo with 36 points.

The Hyundai i30 has drawn much attention since it earned a record-breaking number of points and is the first Asian automobile chosen to be Spain’s best car of the year.

An official at Hyundai’s overseas operations said, “Hyundai Motor’s brand value is expected to increase in the global market. We plan to come up with aggressive marketing strategies by making good use of our achievements in Spain.”

After the launch of the i30 model in June 2007, Hyundai sold 4,469 units in Spain for that year. With the model’s full-scale European release in September, the company sold 24,727 units last year.

achim@donga.com cij1999@donga.com