courtesy of TheFinancial.com
Hyundai’s Equus sedan has been recognized as the “Best New Car” at the 2011 Atlanta International Auto Show by the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association (GAAMA).
A panel of seven veteran automotive journalists announced the third annual selections before the opening of the five-day auto show.
“Hyundai has come a long way in a very short time," said Ryan Rees, GAAMA President. “The Hyundai Equus offers value priced luxury with the engineering, technology and content of fully-optioned flagship models.”
“Hyundai’s all-new flagship Equus embarks in the new way of thinking, where smart luxury enables consumers to experience the advantages of a luxury vehicle without the typical six-figure price tags,” said Mike O’Brien, Vice President of Product and Corporate Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “Compared to its primary competitors, the Equus delivers a remarkable advantage in technology and feature content with higher residual value than Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, and Audi A8.”
As Hyundai’s flagship rear-wheel-drive sedan, Equus contains many Hyundai firsts. One innovative new technology is the Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system, which governs ESC, the electronic parking brake, smart cruise control, the collision warning sensor and the seatbelt tensioning system for optimal safety.
The seatbelt tensioning system works through sensors, which detect critical driving situations and retract the seatbelts accordingly to prevent passenger movement. The Equus’ dynamic safety is further enhanced by the Lane Departure Warning System and driver’s knee airbags.
Equus delivers an extraordinary array of interior technologies and features including an Alcantara suede headliner, heated and cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, memory system, electronic parking brake, auto vehicle hold, navigation system, iPod connection, rear seat climate and seat function controls, lexicon premium surround sound audio system, power rear side-window shades, driver-seat massage, power reclining rear seats (60/40), heated rear seats and a power rear sunshade.
This straightforward lineup of just two extremely well-equipped configurations enables a simple and elegant purchase experience, a key aspect of Hyundai’s innovative perspective on intelligent luxury, which also includes “Your Time, Your Place,” the industry’s first at-home vehicle demonstration program, “At Your Service,” the valet service program which provides at-home pickup for Equus service and maintenance and the industry’s first iPad-based interactive owner’s manual.
Renault's Samsung Motors division halted weekday overtime and weekend shifts. The slowdown will continue until the end of March, meaning a loss of 2000-2500 units of production.
General Motors Korea is considering a change in its production schedules, according to Automotive News, especially since it takes just one part to stop an assembly line.
Hyundai, in contrast, might be able to capitalize on the supply issues competitors are having. That’s because only 1 percent of its parts are from suppliers in Japan. An automatic transmission for the Veracruz crossover and an alternator for the R and Lambda engines are made in Japan. The R is a diesel powerplant not sold in the U.S. and the Lambda V-6 is found in the Genesis, Coupe, Veracruz, and Azera.
Hyundai has so few parts originating in Japan...(that) the automaker could be one of the few to benefit financially from the earthquake.
Source: Automotive News
 TrueCar.com has ranked Fountain Valley-basedHyundai's 2011 Elantra the eighth-most fuel-efficient car of the year. The Elantra is the only non-hybrid vehicle to make the top-10 list. Rankings were distributed according to average fuel economy and annual cost of gas. The Toyota Prius came in at No. 1. But TrueCar.com Vice President Jesse Toprak said that when you consider value and fuel-efficiency, the Elantra is hard to beat. "When purchasing a fuel-efficient vehicle, consumers should consider two factors – price and annual cost of fuel," said Toprak, who specializes in industry trends and insights for TrueCar.com. “If you're looking for the most cost-effective and fuel-efficient car, the Hyundai Elantra is the clear winner." The Toyota Prius’ average base price is $22,235, while the Elantra’s is $15,052. The Elantra requires an estimated $531 more in annual fuel costs than the Prius. "With its 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway standard fuel economy rating, (the Elantra) is a perfect vehicle for consumers looking for an affordable solution to rising gas prices," said Hyundai Motor America Vice President Mike O'Brien. “Elantra is at the core of Hyundai's fuel economy strategy.” | |
The Chicago Tribune has a great article on Hyundai today...
Here is an excerpt:
"Six years ago, Hyundai was a question to most buyers: questionable quality and questionable value. It built its sales surge by becoming an answer.
As Hyundai has passed its 25th anniversary selling cars in America, the brand that started out as a low-priced joke has become the fastest-growing automaker in the world, and it's poised to accelerate in 2011.
In the U.S., where Hyundai began selling cars Feb. 20, 1986, sales were up 24 percent in 2010 and 22 percent in January from the same month last year.
During the past five to six years, Hyundai has steadily improved its quality and fuel economy and become a leader in design and technology.
First, its marketing team made a promise it wasn't sure its engineers could keep. To ease concerns about reliability, the company introduced an industry-leading 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty on engines and transmissions."
For the full article go here.
Visit Tustin Hyundai today!
Meet John Patterson, president of the OC Auto Team. Founded in 2004, Patterson’s OC Auto Team, which includes Huntington Beach Mazda in Huntington Beach, Tustin Hyundai in Tustin, and Tustin Mazda in Tustin, has earned its reputation as an award-winning, customer service focused company. In addition, the OC Auto Team was named as a Top Work Place by the Orange County Register in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
While meeting the customer’s needs remains a top priority, supporting the community goes hand-in-hand with that goal. A charitable donation is made for every car sold at all OC Auto Team locations. To date, over $600,000 has been donated to local schools, churches and charities. Patterson’s long range vision is to have donated $1 million by the time he and his employees celebrate their 10-year anniversary in 2014.
Q. (Bryan) Who’s at the helm?
A. (JP) The “Helm” sounds like someone on high dictating direction. While I am in charge and take responsibility for the problems that occur, I like to think that we are a cooperative organization with several leaders providing strong direction for our team. Each dealership has an excellent leadership team.
Q. (Bryan) Who makes the decisions?
A. (JP) Everyone makes decisions. I lead the big picture decision making process, but each of our managers, as well as all of our team members, have the ability to make decisions that affect the customer experience. Our goal is to make certain the experience at our dealerships is equal to the Ritz Carlton.
Q. (Bryan) Who’s the glue in your company?
A. (JP) The “glue” in our organization is not a “who” but and “it.” We are all brought together by our core philosophy – the Patterson Team Promise: “Engaged Employees, Customer Loyalty, Community Involvement and Long Term Vision.” Everyone in our organization understands that we have a four legged table where each of these principals defines who we are and how we effect our community. By working together, we have achieved tremendous growth and we look forward to continuous growth by serving these philosophies.
Q. (Bryan) Who is your customer?
A. (JP) Our New Car customer is the person that loves to drive a safe and stylish vehicle, but is budget minded – focusing on both fuel economy and an excellent value. Our pre-owned customer is anyone in the Western United states seeking an excellent value on a pre-owned vehicle from $3,000 to $40,000. Whether new or used, however, our customer is someone that values an outstanding experience.
Q. (Bryan) If you could only choose one person–for fun or business–who would you most like to have lunch with?
A. (JP) I would choose my mother. She passed away 3 1/2 years ago and I think of her often. She and my father have been wonderful parents and have shaped me into who I am today. My mother has missed the opening of two of my three dealerships and I would love to have her step foot in my stores one last time.
Q. (Bryan) What’s the secret sauce?
A. (JP) Treat every customer like they are a guest in your
home and make certain your home is a place people want to be.
Q. (Bryan) What mistakes have you made?
A. (JP) Over the past 7 years I have made several mistakes, some big and some small – but each has been a learning experience.
Q. (Bryan) What inspires you?
A. (JP) Seeing success in my organization. Success is an intangible, but you know it when you see it. Whether a sales professional or sales manager having a great sales day, or someone in my service department beaming with pride over a job well done – either way – I love seeing success and sharing it with my team.
Q. (Bryan) What frustrates you?
A. (JP) People working against each other. I liken our business to a big boat and everyone has an oar. Unless we are all rowing in the same direction, the boat will stagnate – and that frustrates me.
Q. (Bryan) If you weren’t doing what you do, what would you be doing?
A. (JP) I would be a teacher/professor – no doubt about it. In fact, 15 years from now, that might be my 3rd career. When: I opened my first dealership, Tustin Mazda, in the beginning of 2004, over 7 years ago. I worked for corporate Toyota for over 10 years prior to making the transition to becoming an automotive retailer.
Q. (Bryan) Where are your customers?
A. (JP) 80% of the customers we service are in Orange County proper. But the remaining 20% of our customers are from all over California and the Western United States. We have customers regularly fly to John Wayne Airport to take delivery of used cars.
Q. (Bryan) Why do you do what you do?
A. (JP) I am a people person that is good with numbers and in this business, these two attributes are essential. My wife says I can speak to anyone about anything … while she is exaggerating, she is not too far off.
Q. (Bryan) Why are you successful?
A. (JP) To say that I am successful is pre-mature. We have grown a ton over the past 7 years, but we have a long way to go. I think the appropriate word is to say that I am grateful for the opportunity. This is God’s business and I am simply the captain of his ship.
Q. (Bryan) Why should people care about you?
A. (JP) Because we are much more than a car dealer. We are a fun group of people that happen to sell cars. We are
community servants that happen to sell cars. We are your neighbors…and we happen to sell cars. We are focused much more on providing an excellent experience, than just moving cars, and I think this has served us very well.
Q. (Bryan) How do you plan to improve, evolve, survive?
A. (JP) Improvement, evolving and survival all run hand in hand. I was speaking to a good friend of mine
earlier today and I summed it up like this “I continue to have a healthy fear of failure.” I think this gives me an edge to keep progressing and growing … and never remaining complacent.
Q. (Bryan) How are you different from competitors?
A. (JP) One visit to any of our three dealerships will show you the difference – we are not an “old school” cheesy car dealership. We are a fun organization that thrives on making our customers raving fans. We understand that our guests are the reason we are in business and we are grateful to be providing them a helpful service.
