ELECTRONIC CAR PARTS: 17) HYUNDAI CARS

by engr. AFAN BAHADUR KHAN

The Hyundai Motor Company, a division of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, is the world’s fifth largest automaker in terms of units sold per year. 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.

Hyundai refers to a group of companies and related organizations 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 (chaebol).

The best well-known Hyundai organization is the Hyundai Motor Company, the world's 5th largest automaker selling mid-sized sedans, coupes,SUVs and large vans like the Sonata, Genesis, Genesis Coupe, Santa Fe, and the Grand Starex(Starex or H-1). Hyundai Heavy Industries is the world's largest shipbuilder, and Hynix is a top semiconductor producer. 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.

The Hyundai Group underwent massive restructuring following the 1997 East Asian financial crisis and the founder's death in 2001. Today, many companies bearing the Hyundai name are legally unrelated, with each company having a different chairman. Former components include Hyundai Group, Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, Hyundai Department Store Group, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, and Hyundai Development Group. After the separation, Hyundai Group focuses on elevators, container services, and tourism to Mount Kumgang.

Name and pronunciation

The word hyeondae (Korean pronunciation: [çʌndɛ]) means "modern times" in Korean and in languages that use Chinese characters. The closest English approximation would be /ˈhjʌndeɪ/ HYUN-day. However, it is generally pronounced /ˈhʌndeɪ/ HUN-day in North America, with a silent y; as /haɪˈʌndaɪ/ hye-UN-dye in the United Kingdom, with an extra syllable; and as /hiːˈʌndaɪ/ hee-UN-dye in Australia. Early American advertising for the Hyundai Excel informed readers that the name "rhymes with Sunday" ("sundae"), which is the closest approximation to the Korean pronunciation. In Japan it is [çjɯndai], closer to the Korean than the Japanese reading of the Chinese characters , [ɡendai].

Hyundai Headquarters Building

History

Chung Ju-Yung founded the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company in 1947. Hyundai Motor Company was later established in 1967. The company’s first model, the Cortina, was released in cooperation with Ford Motor Company in 1968. In 1975, the Pony, the first Korean car, was released, with styling by Giorgio Giugiaro of ItalDesign and powertrain technology provided by Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors. Exports began in the following year to Ecuador and soon thereafter to the Benelux countries. In 1991, the company succeeded in developing its first proprietary gasoline engine, the four-cylinder Alpha, and transmission, thus paving the way for technological independence.

In 1986, Hyundai began to sell cars in the United States, and the Excel was nominated as "Best Product #10" by Fortune magazine, largely because of its affordability. The company began to produce models with its own technology in 1988, beginning with the midsize Sonata.

In 1996, Hyundai Motors India Limited was established with a production plant in Irrungattukatoi near Chennai, India.

In 1998, Hyundai began to overhaul its image in an attempt to establish itself as a world-class brand. Chung Ju Yung transferred leadership of Hyundai Motor to his son, Chung Mong Koo, in 1999. Hyundai's parent company, Hyundai Motor Group, invested heavily in the quality, design, manufacturing, and long-term research of its vehicles. It added a 10-year or 100,000-mile (160,000 km) warranty to cars sold in the United States and launched an aggressive marketing campaign.

In 2004, Hyundai was ranked second in "initial quality" in a survey/study by J.D. Power and Associates. Hyundai is now one of the top 100 most valuable brands worldwide. Since 2002, Hyundai has also been one of the worldwide official sponsors of the FIFA World Cup.

In 2006, the South Korean government initiated an investigation of Chung Mong Koo's practices as head of Hyundai, suspecting him of corruption. On April 28, 2006, Chung was arrested, and charged for embezzlement of 100 billion won (US$106 million), with Hyundai Vice Chairman and CEO, Kim Dong-jin, taking over as head of the company.

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.

Alister McRae driving an Accent WRC at the 2001 Rally Finland

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 Škoda 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.

Hyundai Accent

The Hyundai Accent sold in Australia as the Excel is a subcompact family car produced by Hyundai in South Korea.

First generation (1995-1999)

The Hyundai Accent (X3) was introduced as a replacement for the Excel for the 1995 model year. It continued to be called Excel in some markets, such as the Netherlands and Australia. In France, it was called the Hyundai Pony.

1998-1999 Hyundai Accent sedan (US)

In Australia, the X3 proved so popular (due to its low price) that it was the third best-selling vehicle in the country in both 1996 and 1998. In the latter year, it achieved more than 44,000 sales (a 5.5% share of the total market), a record figure at the time, for an imported car. Between 1994 and 2000, some 200,000 X3s were sold in Australia, making it arguably the most successful imported vehicle in the country's history.

1995 Hyundai Accent Sport hatchback (North America)

The Accent was sold in saloon (sedan), hatchback, and coupé form in the UK, with a choice of three engines for each: a 1.3 12v (85 hp), 1.5 12v (92 hp) and a 1.5 16v (105 hp) petrol. There was no diesel option (until the 2003 redesign). A GSi spec car was the top-specification Accent with front power windows and a radio/cassette player.

1996 Hyundai Accent hatchback (North America)

The MVi-spec coupé version won particular praise for its handling agility in the UK. Although the Accent was cheap to buy and insure, its engines were quite thirsty; the 1.5-litre returned 33 mpg-imp (Template:Convert/L/100 km mpgus) average according to list figures.

1997-1999 Hyundai Accent hatchback (US)

Though manuals exist for Accents before and after 1999, a manual for 1999 Hyundai Accent has not been published. Also 1999 Hyundai Accent owners were informed by their dealers that the power output of the 1.5 L engine is actually rated at 88 horsepower (66 kW).

In 1999, Jeremy Clarkson used a Hyundai Accent in a banger race, competing against Tiff Needell amongst other competitors, in his video Head to Head. He then had the Hyundai crushed at a car breaker after the race.

Second generation (2000-2005)

Second generation models were rebadged Hyundai Vernas.

Second generation

Third generation (2005-present)

Third generation models were rebadged Hyundai Vernas.

Third generation.

Hyundai Atos

The Hyundai Atos (Amica in the UK, Santro Xing in India) is a city car produced by the Hyundai Motor Company. The original Atos was introduced in 1997. In 1999, it was joined by the less controversially styled Atos Prime. It uses the G4HC Epsilon straight 4 engine. The mkII version comes with a 1086 cc G4HG engine.

2001 Hyundai Santro

2008 Hyundai Atos Prime rear view

While most markets have phased out this model in favor of the new i10, it is still being manufactured in India, where it is marketed below the i10.

Hyundai Grandeur

The Hyundai Grandeur (Hangul) is a mid-size/full-size sedan manufactured and marketed globally by Hyundai Motor Company since model year 1986. The Grandeur has evolved through four generations with intermediate restylings, and is marketed under various nameplates worldwide — prominently as the Azera.

Hyundai Dynasty

The Hyundai Dynasty is a premium executive sedan that debuted in 1996.[1] The Dynasty had a lot of features that were considered ahead of its time at the time of debut featuring electronically controlled suspension, dual climate control, and power memory seats (front and rear). In order to differentiate the Dynasty from its platform-shared Grandeur, Hyundai used a different badge (stylized D logo) for Dynasty. The Hyundai Dynasty was produced in Ulsan, South Korea and it was discontinued in 2005 due to its awkward segment position between the full-size luxury car, Equus, and the entry level luxury executive car Grandeur/XG300.

Genesis, Hyundai's first rear wheel drive since the Stellar, is bound to fill the premium executive gap left by Dynasty in 2008.

Two different engines were available, the Sigma V6 displacing 3.0 L and 3.5 L, rated at 205 hp (153 kW) and 225 hp (168 kW) respectively.

SOME OTHER MODELS OF HYUNDAI CARS

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