Yours truly, along with a number of other automotive journalists, was recently invited to spend a day with Hyundai. From the details provided, the general idea was to supply us a little seat time in the company’s updated 2012 Elantra and to allow us to experience a few of its other automotive offerings.
The day got off to a bright and early start at the Headquarters in Markham, where we were greeted by Steve Kelleher, the President & CEO of Hyundai Canada, who gave a quick speech about the company’s success over the past decade, including a few tongue-in-cheek references to how things have changed since the days of the Hyundai Pony.
Personally, I find it amusing when the subject of the Pony comes up. It’s like the company wishes to bury the name well into the history books, yet it’s always a Hyundai employee who first mentions the vehicle. Perhaps it’s simply a cunning ploy to remind us of where the company came from and how well it has progressed over the past few decades.
Yes, from the famous basic transportation device, which I happen to feel was a great little vehicle for the money, the company is now poised to swipe the crown from Honda for producing the bestselling passenger car in Canada (year-to-date, Hyundai Elantra sales are only a few units behind those of the top-selling Honda Civic!).
It’s also worth mentioning that Hyundai is now ranked 5th in total vehicle sales in Canada. This would probably be higher if the company had a few truck sales to boost its numbers, and wasn’t somewhat struggling to keep up with customer demand.
Oh yes, and this may surprise a few of you, but the company is doing so well with sales of its Accent & Elantra models that it’s almost impossible to purchase one to your exact specifications, unless of course, you’re willing to wait for the vehicle to be built. Now that’s not unheard of in the high-end market but, at the entry-level end of things, that’s nothing short of astounding!
Of course, when a manufacturer can boast of a 67% increase in sales from 2006 to 2010, you’ve got to be thinking that it’s doing something right. So let’s take a quick look at what I learned from my day with Hyundai…
The day started with a drive to Mosport Raceway in a 2012 Elantra, which I have to admit to liking very much. It’s well styled, carries an award-winning interior (recently voted one of the Top Ten Best Interiors by Ward’s), boasts best-in-class fuel economy and is one of the only vehicles in its category to offer both a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. With prices ranging from $15,849 to $24,699 for the top-of-the-range Limited, it’s not hard to see why this vehicle is proving so popular.
 |
| 2012 Hyundai Elantra (Photo: Hyundai) |
The day got off to a bright and early start at the Headquarters in Markham, where we were greeted by Steve Kelleher, the President & CEO of Hyundai Canada, who gave a quick speech about the company’s success over the past decade, including a few tongue-in-cheek references to how things have changed since the days of the Hyundai Pony.
Personally, I find it amusing when the subject of the Pony comes up. It’s like the company wishes to bury the name well into the history books, yet it’s always a Hyundai employee who first mentions the vehicle. Perhaps it’s simply a cunning ploy to remind us of where the company came from and how well it has progressed over the past few decades.
Yes, from the famous basic transportation device, which I happen to feel was a great little vehicle for the money, the company is now poised to swipe the crown from Honda for producing the bestselling passenger car in Canada (year-to-date, Hyundai Elantra sales are only a few units behind those of the top-selling Honda Civic!).
It’s also worth mentioning that Hyundai is now ranked 5th in total vehicle sales in Canada. This would probably be higher if the company had a few truck sales to boost its numbers, and wasn’t somewhat struggling to keep up with customer demand.
Oh yes, and this may surprise a few of you, but the company is doing so well with sales of its Accent & Elantra models that it’s almost impossible to purchase one to your exact specifications, unless of course, you’re willing to wait for the vehicle to be built. Now that’s not unheard of in the high-end market but, at the entry-level end of things, that’s nothing short of astounding!
Of course, when a manufacturer can boast of a 67% increase in sales from 2006 to 2010, you’ve got to be thinking that it’s doing something right. So let’s take a quick look at what I learned from my day with Hyundai…
The day started with a drive to Mosport Raceway in a 2012 Elantra, which I have to admit to liking very much. It’s well styled, carries an award-winning interior (recently voted one of the Top Ten Best Interiors by Ward’s), boasts best-in-class fuel economy and is one of the only vehicles in its category to offer both a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. With prices ranging from $15,849 to $24,699 for the top-of-the-range Limited, it’s not hard to see why this vehicle is proving so popular.
 |
| 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe (Photo: Hyundai) |