Hyundai sales move in to 5th place
May 6, 2009 by Matt Brogan
Following a strong first-quarter performance, Hyundai has continued its progressive growth in April to see it now positioned as the fifth best-selling brand in Australia.
Hyundai was the only top 10 brand to post a sales increase in both April as well as the first four months of 2009 compared with the same period last year, realising a 12.3 per cent year-on-year and 12.2 per cent year to date (as compared to the same time last year). Market share for the first four months of 2009 was 6.1 per cent with 16,895 cars sold.
The multi-award winning i30 range ranked third in the small segment with an 11 per cent market share after posting a sales result of 1,491 cars (including 235 new i30cw wagons).
The iLoad van range ranked equal second (up from third in March) in the van segment, achieving 147 sales. The iMax eight seat shuttle ranked fourth (up from fifth in March) its segment.
As in March, Getz ranked second and Tucson ranked third in their respective segments.
With 4,136 vehicles sold, Hyundai achieved a 6.5 per cent market share in April, the best April sales result since 1999.
Hyundai ranked fifth in the passenger car market with an 8.4 per cent market share (the highest passenger car market share since December 2001) and fifth overall for the month.
In terms of YTD total sales, Feb YTD positioned Hyundai at eighth overall, March YTD saw the brand climb to 6 sixth and April YTD sees Hyundai move up to fifth overall.
“April’s results send a strong signal that the Hyundai brand is breaking old prejudices and winning new customers with a world class multi-award winning range of product that offers consumers outstanding value, low cost of ownership, as well as high levels of safety technology,” commented Kevin McCann, Director of Sales and Marketing.
Print it: 
Is the genesis coupe coming to australia?
I think so, i’ve seen one in a stealership as of last week.
‘Tis quite nice looking in the pictures but in the metal, it’s absolutely stunning. Glad it was only in the showroom, makes the 63 look bad =P
So is Hyundai increasing it’s share, or is it the fact that the budget end of the market less affected by the economic situation we find ourselves in?
Not trying to be pessimistic just looking from a distance and thinking thatwhen the market has setted down over the next twelve months as to wether Hyundai (and Kia for that matter) will continue on their march, or will an improved economy see the budget lines slow and a return to the more expensive brands?
THe reasoning for my thoughts is simply that the (supposed) meteoric rise globally by Hyundai has coincided with the global economic downturn.
Hyundai have been advertising like crazy for the past year, interesting to see the sales momentum that creates. Ford could learn a bit on advertising from Hyundai, or Holden, although in Holden’s case that hasn’t been getting them anywhere, although that just might be the product.
ugly… why would someone even buy that? just because it’s rear wheel drive. it gets no respect from me
hyundai is on a roll currently, aswell as sister brand Kia. The next Sonata looks very promising, and the Genesis Coupe will give them serious street cred in the next few years. Look at all the hotted up Lancers aspiring to be EVO’s….maybe we will see hotted up Getz and i30’s in the future? LOL
Toyota watch out!
Frontman,
Hyundai – Kia group have been progressing over the last ten years. Hyundai – Kia two years ago was ninth on the global scale. No other company has moved so quickly through the ranks. The figures are now just more highlighted in the current climate.
I think Hyundai are actually making decent cars of late, but it’s probably more to do with the recession than advertising.
I share your thoughts Frontman.
Ive said it before that increasing market share doesnt mean you have to light the books with sales figures, you only have to be losing less sales than the next guy to increase your market share.
The budget end of town is always less affected.
The housing market is the same.
when they say there has been a slow down, it doesnt mean that everything has slowed.
here in QLD the sub 300K houses are still selling strong and the average prices in that segment havent really been affected.
different story for the higher end housing prices though.
Yes I do give credit that Hyundais game has increased, but they are still a budget company, and are still being viewed and bought as one
Personally I don’t like them.
However, if they bring Genesis Coupe under 50K, would be very interesting.
“Toyota watch out!”???…You are kidding or dreaming.
Over 100K Hyundai is simply crazy and lunatic.
Where is Hynudai hybrid? Oh it’s coming? When? and how much?
This article is talking about numbers only not profit base, After all they sell cheap cars, and at the moment people need exactly cheap one.
That’s all, this is not proof anything as they are good company.
If you backed out rental cars sales they would be behind Tata in the rankings
Hyundai is the new Toyota. Hyundai is the new Toyota. Hyundai is the new Toyota. Hyundai is the new Toyota. Hyundai is the new Toyota. Hyundai is the new Toyota.
did you get that guys and gals?
Come back in 5 years and check if I’m right.
Hyundai are selling more cars, but it’s off a low base. They have actually gone backwards over the past decade or so in terms of sales here in Aus. But they will probably maintain 5th place in the sales race this year due to demand for cheaper cars in the current economic climate, given that they’re basically giving Getz away and given that the i20 is coming to supplement the Getz and i30. They’re also marketing more than most other brands, so they’d want to be doing alright.
Tack, Rome wasnt built in a day buddy! Every automaker has to start somewhere…..you cant be on top straight away. But with the direction Hyundai is heading…..it’s only a matter of time. Dont get me wrong, Toyota will probably always be one of the largest volume players in the auto industry…..but competition is good. Im in no way suggesting Hyundai is going to topple Toyota and turn toyota into a low volume make (ala, Subaru), but Hyundai will certainly be equal to Toyota in years to come.
I remember fronting up in Melbourne 4 yearsago looking for a car for a salesman (not the Salesman I think) telling me to avoid Hyundai at all costs. Cheap, won’t last, expensive to repair unreliable. How wrong was he. Instead a bought an Australian car – A Magna TF (in my ignorance). What a mistake, should have got the Hound-dye
Say what you like but korean cars are one notch behind the japanese in terms of design, reliability and build quality period
Considering the economy
and the fact that Hyundai sells their cars around 3-4K less than any of the japanese brands..
you dont have to be Einstein to see the pattern.
Captain Mainwaring…
Hyundai the next Toyota as in the next “mass” producer leader?
Maybe in 15 years and only if Toyota decides to “sleep”. Considering Toyota will have a new head honcho in June and apparently he’s not happy with the recent “Profit focus” Toyota had the last decade, and he wants to bring back Toyota to its roots and provide excitement back to the range of cars…. + the massive market share…. its going to take a massive dramatic change for Hyundai… although the economic slow down and opt for “cheaper” cars do help Hyundai’s favor.
Yes Murano..
Some people dont quiet get it, Hyundai has a market share because they offer “decent” cars at that price range. As stated, they offer cars similarly sized and comparable to the Civics, Lancers, Corollas, 3s etc with the i30… and the i30 is 5 grand less in cost…
I can honestly say I know people who have purchased Hyundai’s 4-5 years ago, who had many issues and now they do not want to go back there… of course their will always be penny pinchers and people on tight budgets and 4-5 grand cost difference they will opt for the cheaper car… not really realizing in the long run its not so cost effective… but its worth saying Hyundai has improved quality.. but there is a reason why they sell at that price… and considering “quality” goes down when a manufacturer expands rapidly.. it’ll be interesting if they can maintain their quality improvement.
Hyundai – Kia quality is on par with anything else from Japan or Germany, not quite sure if you are very educated on the brand Lukaas. Hyundai is the next Toyota? YES. And even Toyota says so. On my very first Toyota managers meeting the only car company Toyota continued to benchmark themselves against was Hyundai – Kia. Toyota conceder the Koreans to be the biggest threat to the number one spot. The Koreans are following the same path carved out by Toyota on their way to the top. More and more people are realizing that the Koreans offer the same quality and reliability for less. In these current economic times of course we become more budget conscious. This economic crisis will only assist in speeding up the Hyundai – Kia brand awareness as dollar value drives buyers into Korean showrooms who will, even after the recession is over, continue to realize the value of Hyundai – Kia over the more expensive brand name cars.
Oh for crying out loud, reading these comments is so predictable. It’s like you are trying to beat the public into submission – “you will like Hyundai-Kia, you will like Hyundai-Kia, you will LOVE Hyundai-Kia. H-K are great, H-K are the the best”.
Enough already, I’m not here to be hypnotised for God’s sake. As unpalatable as such a comment is on this website, I am going to come out and say it, “I don’t like H-K, they offer nothing in the range that interests me”.
There, I feel better now……
I’m buying a mid sized car right now and I was considering a Kia or a Hyundai. However, the many stories I’ve heard about poor build quality of Korean cars from my friends discouraged me from taking them seriously.
Yes, they seem to be cheaper but when you put their specs sided-by-side with Japanese or even certain continental cars-they are not really a lot cheaper, almost at par. Compare the Corolla/Mazda3 and the Elantra-same specs but the price difference is $1,000 or so. Upon close inspection e.g interior upholstery-Korean cars are less refined and tail gate-Korean cars tail gate will start to “fade” after 3 years.
I’m no hypnotist but i can obviously effect your emotions. Their are many on this site who agree and their are many who disagree with me on different subjects. My opinions and comments are not up for debate. But i am glad you took the time to read them.
milkyway
If Hyundai has poor build quality then how did they win the car of the year award with the i30? Kia just won the U.K car magazines car maker of the year over the likes of Toyota, VW and Audi, you can’t achieve that with a bad product. Both Hyundai and Kia have a five year warranty. Paint fade? All cars fade over time. 10 years ago some new cars paint would oxidize, this means oxygen trapped under the paint work would cause paint peal and blistering. Do some more research on price and features before making a final decision. Good Luck.
Hyundai – Kia quality is on par with anything else from Japan or Germany, The Salesman.
Damm, I wished i’d listen to you earlier, I could have saved a fortune and bought a Hyundai instead of my Mercedes-Benz S Class, LOL.
Do they give you CD’s with subliminal messages so you can listen to them in your sleep ?
Keep dreaming….if you try and con yourself long enough with your sales meeting recital’s, you end up believing it.
I know, I made the mistake of buying a current model Sante Fe, it ended up I just couldn’t stand its inferior handling, braking, steering and so on and it wasn’t even on the same planet compared to an Audi Q7 or Lexus RX350 or anything else in that league.
You get what you pay for. There arn’t any free lunches out there. Hyundai / Kia generally make very average vehicles at very average prices, end of story.
April’s results send a strong signal that the Hyundai brand is breaking old prejudices and winning new customers with a world class multi-award winning range of product that offers consumers outstanding value, low cost of ownership, as well as high levels of safety technology,” commented Kevin McCann, Director of Sales and Marketing.
This is classic marketing speak. Let me translate it into English for anyone who has difficulty seeing this for what it is.
People as so scared of the unprecedented world-wide credit crisis and its downstram ramifications, they’re prepared to overlook previous prejudices and buy something because its CHEAP, because they want to hang on to as much of their cash as possible.
We’ve won a few awards, probably predominantly off the back of our value for money equation with average quality, but we don’t want to mention that, so we will say its world class. YEAH RIGHT !
Outstanding value and low cost of ownership, we won’t mention the traditional appalling re-sale, hopefully customers either won’t know or don’t care.
High level’s of safety technology…blah, blah, we’ve finally almost caught up with the Japaneese, but lets not admitt that, lets try and con people we’re ahead of them.
People buy cheaper brands in a deep world-wide recession, this is not rocket science, but as soon as the recession is over, just watch them flock back to more aspirational brands and those that have a solid and respected history that’s been earned over many decades.
Not to mention that in the US Hyundai was one of the hardest hit imported brands.
Oh and Ford increased market share again, probably on the back of lack of buyer confidence in CRYsler and GM.
Ford is now No. 2 in the US behind GM again after beating out Toyota!
Let’s see Hyundai in 10 years from now and Holden Australia 10 years from now.
T/S,
have you driven the new Mazda3 yet???
surely you would not have said hyundai is equal to anything if you have driven a 3.
Even the last gen 3 is a better car than the i30.
The hyundais are good cheap cars, but when you pay more for something else like a 3 etc, you also get more of a car.
My friend at work got a Audi A3, it has been a absolute disaster , constantly in and out of the workshop, electrical problems, auto trans problems, seals busting all the time, oil leaks. He is about to straight swap it for a Getz and he can’t wait.
The most bang for your buck? the answer? It is Hyundai or Kia..It is very simple, if you have a brain…
Salesman,
I didn’t say Hyundais are bad-just that they are very average. Bang for bucks? Yes. Top notch reliability and quality-NO. IMHO, korean cars are generally ok for the discount you get on the price-no big deal. Still, they are inferior to Japanese/German cars.
Winning UK car magazine awards? Whatcar? Autocar? Topgear? no…probably some small time award. Korean cars better than German cars? You must be smoking something very strong lately.
The most bang for your buck? the answer? It is LG or Samsung….It is very simple, if you have a brain… The car? the same thing…
Milykway
Where is you’re evidence of the unreliability of Hyundai, what are you basing this on?
If you are talking about fit and finish no one is denying that cars that cost twice as much are superior.
But to say that these cars are mechanically unreliable is just ignorant.
Horsey
Never did I ever said Korean cars are mechanically unreliable-just that they do not have top notch reliability like many of the notable Japanese or German marques. Go and do a google search on car reliability issues and you’ll find Kia, Daewoo appearing frequently-caveat: these cars were made 2-3 years ago. Many of my friends bought the KIA MPV (Sedona) and almost 100% had quality issues ranging from broken suspension to gearbox. Yeah, one of them (from Malaysia) had his gearbox crashing on him after 2 years and it cost him A$12,000 to replace-what a joke.
I was a Hyundai showroom yesterday-yes, the cars are impressive. Almost up to par with Japanese at 1st look. Then I took the Sonata for a spin- handling is not close to an Accord or Camry or Mazda6. Reliability-I don’t know yet. Am I ignorant?
Still, I think Korean cars are worthy of a 2nd look as they are constantly improving. That’s what make Koreans special…from a low end manufacturer to a major auto player in under 30 years (i’ve been watching Korean cars that long). Get it?
Take a look at JD Power 2008 Customer Satisfaction Survey. Highest ranked Korean car in the small family car segment (strongest segment for the Korean) is Hyundai Matrix at Position 42. In the manufacturers league table, Hyundai is ranked 17th while Kia is 25th. Top 10 manufacturers comprise 4 Japanese and 4 Germans-anybody surprised?
European vehicles (mostly German): Overpriced good vehicles
Japanese vehicles: Good vehicles with average price
Korean vehicles: Average vehicles with discount price
Australian vehicles: Average vehicles with average price
So,
If you care about badges and have lots of money–> go for Germans
If you want to have a nice vehicle without badge concern –> go for japs
If you think car is a just transportaion –> go for koreans
If you are patriotic, go for Australians
Plus, it doesn’t seems like Samsung is just bang for the buck. Its brand value in 2008 is nominated 21st in the world, which surpasses all the Japanese brands including Sony.