Appreciation of car brands depends on where you live. Hyundai has been consistently successful in India but only recently garnered a good reputation in Europe and the United States. In those long-established markets Korean cars had been seen as upstarts with indifferent design, lacking in new technology, and saleable only at the lowest prices.
Hyundai never lacked ambition but it took some time to understand the standards by which Europeans and Americans judge cars. The first signs that it had got the message came when Hyundai and its companion brand Kia launched their first models designed and built in Europe. The Hyundai i30 and Kia Cee’d were a quantum leap from their previous contenders in the hotly-contested C-sector; the Cee’d even made the short list for the 2008 Car of the Year in Europe.
These better cars, plus the downturn in European and US economies that put an emphasis on value-for-money, consolidated Hyundai’s position as a major player in the car business. In 2009 Hyundai-Kia overtook Ford to take fourth place in the world sales league.
All of the smaller cars in the Hyundai range have been replaced since then. The i10 and i20 were well received and there is a waiting list in the UK for the i35 compact crossover SUV. Now comes the i40. In terms of positioning, it is probably the most important car yet.
The i40 is a replacement for the Sonata. In Europe, it lines up against the Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and Opel Insignia; in America, where it is still called Sonata, it competes with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, the country’s biggest selling passenger cars. The European i40 range started out with the Tourer sportswagon and is only now including the saloon that is sold in the US.
Hyundai never lacked ambition but it took some time to understand the standards by which Europeans and Americans judge cars. The first signs that it had got the message came when Hyundai and its companion brand Kia launched their first models designed and built in Europe. The Hyundai i30 and Kia Cee’d were a quantum leap from their previous contenders in the hotly-contested C-sector; the Cee’d even made the short list for the 2008 Car of the Year in Europe.
These better cars, plus the downturn in European and US economies that put an emphasis on value-for-money, consolidated Hyundai’s position as a major player in the car business. In 2009 Hyundai-Kia overtook Ford to take fourth place in the world sales league.
All of the smaller cars in the Hyundai range have been replaced since then. The i10 and i20 were well received and there is a waiting list in the UK for the i35 compact crossover SUV. Now comes the i40. In terms of positioning, it is probably the most important car yet.
The i40 is a replacement for the Sonata. In Europe, it lines up against the Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and Opel Insignia; in America, where it is still called Sonata, it competes with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, the country’s biggest selling passenger cars. The European i40 range started out with the Tourer sportswagon and is only now including the saloon that is sold in the US.
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