[trev012]

Why is it that Hyundais are more popular down in Australia than they seem to be here in the UK?
Is it because of badge snobbery here in Britain or have they been selling them for longer on the other side of the world?

It just seems that every episode of Neighbours shows a Hyundai but we don't really see too many here.
Can some members please enlighten me on the situation.

[Surferdude]

The Excel took off here right from its release. The Excel created a price point which others had to match. So there are lots of young people (well, young then) whose first car was a Hyundai and as they grew older, Hyundai seems to have changed its marketing somewhat, maintaining a low (but no longer the lowest) price point and adding features to hold onto its existing market, whilst snaffling (highly technical marketing term  ) market share from other makers.
So much so that the current Toyota ads on TV actually show the rear half of an i30 as the "bad boy" in their new low interest offer.
Hmm? "Low interest". I think that's what's happening to Toyota and they're panicking a bit.
2.9% finance, Fixed Price Servicing. They're trying to hold onto their market share. And Hyundai is "snaffling" it. 

[Bel680]

Totally what suferdue said... they have worked the market really well here is Aus..and since others haven't been they are taking over as one of the best to buy from.. While car hunting I visited the local Toyota who are hurting for the small car market since Hyundai moved in down the road... oh and the 2.9% is a comparison rate, the guy at Toyota told me that is the only thing keeping their sales team afloat. It's that bad at their dealership that HQ sent a new Manager from NSW over to "fix" the issues they have....

[beerman]

How do you fix crap cars?? The Corolla is old and is in desperate need of redesign. No diesel option, fuel economy is average and they are expensive to buy (at least they were).

Seems that people no longer have the 'its Toyota it will last forever' mindset and those nasty recalls haven't helped their cause

[Bel680]

Its more then a Car quality problem at our local dealer, their service department has a very bad rep, and the sales guys either push a sale down your throat, or totally ignore you when you looking at cars. My personal experiences with them was one of my main reasons for not buying from them. My old Echo had issues and everytime they serviced it and i mentioned the shuttering the car did at low speeds I was told "your a woman, you just can't drive the car the way you should" which was crap, my hubbie had the same issue when he drove it. They failed to change spark plug for two years, the list goes on and on.

Plus the fact that the sales manager broke my door handle and then tried to tell me it was already like that... hubbie had quite a fight to get it fixed.

I was thinking of getting a Yarris, but honestly while the car has had a facelift it drove the same as my 2000 Echo...no improvements in ten years... they rest on their laurels too much...

[Surferdude]

It's interesting to see what others think about Toyota.
We've had at least one (usually) a Corolla) in our household for at least 15 years. Thay've always been reliable, inexpensive to run and service and pleasant (if unexciting) to drive. Our local Toyota dealer runs the most irritating ads on TV but their spare parts people and their sales people are excellent. Price is definitely an issue though.
I hate to refer back to my marketing background but they face the same issues most market leaders face with the growth in global diversity. The market leaders will always tend to rest on their laurels and trade on their extensive customer base.
The trick is to know when to re-invent yourself. Toyota appears to have missed the boat  And Hyundai (plus Kia and a couple of others) have grabbed their opportunity.
I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the recall issue though. Normally I'm wary of conspiracy theories but too much of what is happening in North America could be attributable to the "spin" put on relatively isolated (and sometimes opportunistic) incidents by behind the scenes lobbying by American car manufacturers. With support by congressmen and senators keen to throw a life-line to their ailing constituent manufacturers.

[Lorian]

Why is it that Hyundais are more popular down in Australia than they seem to be here in the UK?
Is it because of badge snobbery here in Britain or have they been selling them for longer on the other side of the world?

I see loads nowadays. So many in fact that in the last few months owners don't tend to wave anymore I'm starting to think its loosing some of it's exclusivity 

[paul]

I have had a yaris or 7 years now and still think it is a good car,
however the dealership was crap, the salesman was a snob and ignored me as i was dressed in work clothes and didn't look like i could afford it, (well miffed when i asked for discount for cash) it has been faultless,
But now i have the Hyundai as well,  i wont go back, it drives better, more comfortable,
more accessories and a great price!
i did a lot of research before i purchased my i30 and there are a lot of happy owners,
me included

[Dazzler]

Not taking anything away from Hyundai or i30's the local Toyota Dealers here in Devonport (and their Service/parts departments) are the equal if not better than the local Hyundai dealers...

The problem with most Toyotas these days is although I believe they are still well made and reliable, they are BORING ... the i30 and getz both have a personality and a few quirks which make them very likeable..

As many on here know I now have a Camry Hybrid, have rented a Current Model Corolla Sedan for a week (twice) due to a good price deal and a Yaris as well ...

The Hybrid is in a class of its own (for the price) the Corolla and Yaris were reasonably comfortable, quiet and trouble free.. but BORING. There is nothing wrong with Toyotas that a bit more imagination in their Styling and engineering departments couldn't fix (That is my opinion anyway)

[Surferdude]

^^^^^^
Absolutely agree Dazz.
But they need to work on their value for money as well.

[Dazzler]

^^^^^^
Absolutely agree Dazz.
But they need to work on their value for money as well.

I agree although that philosophy has kept their resale values up (something that Hyundai has failed to do until recently with the i30)

[2i30s]

you've got to admit the 5 year unlimited km warranty must be some buyers sole reason for buying Hyundai's. 

[Surferdude]

you've got to admit the 5 year unlimited km warranty must be some buyers sole reason for buying Hyundai's. 

I agree it's an eye catcher.

Makes you look twice.

And when you look twice you notice all the other features - AND gives you peace of mind.

[Ozbrum]

 Very interesting posts and I agree with all of then .... One of the reasons Toyota fly the leading sales figure tag at least here in Western Australia is the Government and big mining company fleet vehicle sales   and  my wife has a Toyota Camry work car basic model and I've moved it around a few times and it is a VERY user friendly car ... Need a pencil or what radio station is that, speed alert, audio controls, cruise control, air cond controls, It is very user friendly.

 Hyundai Australia has come on tremendously in the last 6 years with the main market success of the Tucson and then they really capitalised on that with the Tucson city 2wd and then the new breed of Sonata.

 Hyundai Australia has done everything it can since 2005 to get away from the 'Cheap and Affordable Tag' to be a recognised car manufacturing leader of the future. Since 2007 here and the great fireball success with the i30 range all other manufactures are struggling to match Hyundai and now VW are coming close !

 Hyundai Aus: have started to make a few unfortunate mistakes here in WA 2010 .. The i20 introduction car with the basic model advertised as 5 star value but only having 2 airbags .... now all models have 6 airbags which get a '5 star ANCAP rating'. The Premium i20 (top of the range) is more expensive than the i30 SLX auto.

   The i45 auto with a couple of extras is now in the big time with Australia's Holden and Ford and the bad publicity from Aussie motoring writers on the steering and front dampener set up ! and then Hyundai saying 'YEAH we've fixed that and it's now standard across the rang not just in the Premium' ...... I know it was grossly exaggerated   but it will affect sales and the future of Hyundai Australia.

Cheers  

[Surferdude]

   The i45 auto with a couple of extras is now in the big time with Australia's Holden and Ford and the bad publicity from Aussie motoring writers on the steering and front dampener set up ! and then Hyundai saying 'YEAH we've fixed that and it's now standard across the rang not just in the Premium' ...... I know it was grossly exaggerated   but it will affect sales and the future of Hyundai Australia.

Cheers  

But Hyundai did the same thing with the i30 suspension, modifying it to "suit" Australian conditions and that seems to have been a winner for them.
I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with the i45.

[trev012]

But Hyundai did the same thing with the i30 suspension, modifying it to "suit" Australian conditions and that seems to have been a winner for them.
I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with the i45.

This is exactly WHY I started this post - It seems the i30 was specifically designed for Australia. It seems in Aus there are more Hyundais; Toyotas and Nissans running around whereas here in the UK our top manufactures seem to be Ford;Vauxhall;VW;BMW; Mercs, etc,etc.

I really just wanted to know if there was a reason for this??

[Surferdude]

I think the short answer is "proximity".
The Japanese and more recently, Korean manufacturers are pretty much on our doorstep and have been selling cars here since the 60's.
Toyota and Datsun (then Nissan) with Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki along for the ride. And those marques all produced some magic rally cars which really suited Australian events. taking over fom the successful but unreliable and expensive Renaults. The Escort was even more unreliable and never really caught on here.
The Koreans just hopped on the bandwagon when Japan plateaued out.
I think the cost of European cars landed in Oz has something to do with it too.

[snowcherry]

The Excel took off here right from its release. The Excel created a price point which others had to match. So there are lots of young people (well, young then) whose first car was a Hyundai and as they grew older, Hyundai seems to have changed its marketing somewhat, maintaining a low (but no longer the lowest) price point and adding features to hold onto its existing market, whilst snaffling (highly technical marketing term  ) market share from other makers.
So much so that the current Toyota ads on TV actually show the rear half of an i30 as the "bad boy" in their new low interest offer.

hah i knew it was an i30! only ever seen the ad once.
to the point about the excel. i guess that car was like the VW of its time. cheap car for the masses. it was pitched beautifully though many fell apart not long after warranty leaving a bad mark on Hyundai's name. i know i was very dubious at my first look at the i30 because of its name. so i don't think the i30 does so well soley on previous marketing but actually in spite of it! Hyundai are great at what they do though. they provide a product aimed at a gap in the market, cheaper car for the masses, thankfully this time the technology has improved that it seems the i30 (and others in range) is proving to be a very solid car indeed.

re toyota. close family friends are toyota drivers. three in the family have one. every couple years they upgrade. they don't even bother test driving, just choose the colour, accessory package and away they go. no thought to even looking at what else is on the market. i guess its habit, familiarity, no actual issues of significant nature - a trusted brand and why should they change? this is why toyota still holds on. i have no bad feelings to toyota myself, but agree with the boring assessment. i find them very bland, sterile, plasticy, a bit boxy and hard, i couldn't see myself buying one unless they really changed their game.
i think ford and holden are the same, they rely on brand trust to get them over the line. brands like Hyundai appeal to the Y gen who have very little loyalty in this regard and want to be won over by value for dollar.

[snowcherry]

This is exactly WHY I started this post - It seems the i30 was specifically designed for Australia. It seems in Aus there are more Hyundais; Toyotas and Nissans running around whereas here in the UK our top manufactures seem to be Ford;Vauxhall;VW;BMW; Mercs, etc,etc.

I really just wanted to know if there was a reason for this??

yup to follow on surferdudes post. we have had a lot of koreon cars over the years to begin with. i'd say as a general rule you'd buy an aussie made car or an asian one. even a lot of our holden and fords now are korean anyway (well til they shifted to africa or something?). i guess for hyundai its an obvious market to get a foothold in over europe who do prefer their europeon models. thats because they have a long motoring history of making their own cars over 'inferior' asian imports.
i think to have a europeon car here is a bit snobbery?
gosh knows i want an aston martin 

[Lorian]

This is exactly WHY I started this post - It seems the i30 was specifically designed for Australia. It seems in Aus there are more Hyundais; Toyotas and Nissans running around whereas here in the UK our top manufactures seem to be Ford;Vauxhall;VW;BMW; Mercs, etc,etc.

A lot of this is down to deals between the big car manufacturers and fleet and hire car companies.

Manufacturers need a certain gravity to attract the buyers, and the cars need to be of sufficient quality for their end-users not to give them a hard time.

About half-way though last year I think Hyundai achieved this tippiing point, with the car being purchased by police forces, driving schools and hire companies. 12 months ago you'd never see a hire hyundai, now I see lots (I often get to walk though car hire pens at several uk airports)

[LuciferDarklord]

Personally I think Toyota's quality is far from what it used to be in the '80s and '90s, so much so that I would not consider buying one now unless it was made in Japan, not Thailand or Australia.  Every single Toyota I've driven in the last 5 years has quite frankly been a POS.  Granted they were all rentals, mine vehicles or company cars but they were far from reliable.  Most of the 100 series, Thai Hiluxes and Prados are nowhere near as indestructible as the older models on the minesites, and the A/C units dont handle the heat.  Nissan went downhill just before the Renault takeover.  I just look back to the inline-6 2JZ and RB series engines and think there will never be engines like them ever again, over engineered 10 fold.  Unfortunately the days when engineers made decisions are over, now its the bean counters that call the shots and Toyota has shifted focus too far while Hyundai has continued to concentrate on engineering over profit.  Just my take on things.

[LuciferDarklord]

On the popularity of i30s in Perth, while waiting at the lights the other day I could count 7 i30s at the one intersection (including my own)  WA has always been keen on Hyundais more than the east, John Hughes was the biggest selling Hyundai dealer in the entire planet for a while there, Bondy bought the first Hyundais into Perth in the '80s (a friend at school had the first one into the country in the late '80s as his father worked for Hyundai)

[trev012]

Thanks guys, for all your replies.  Too many to quote from but I think the reason for so many Hyundais down under is because you live so close to Korea. Same for Toyotas and Nissans.

Similarly, here in the UK, we are so close to Europe and have such a vast choice to pick from.

As an aside, I had new VW's for over 17 years from the Mk2's to the Mk 4's. I stopped buying them after that as I felt the quality of them was deteriorating in comparison to the earlier models. I would say my new i30 is on a par for quality with my last Mk4 model.  It just doesn't get the same hype here in Europe that VW does.

[ridecycling]

Originally from California now living in Brisbane I can only add there are i30's everywhere here in Australia.  You would have to be blind not to see them out on the road.  I would say the only other single car that I see more of is the Hyundai Getz and that may very well be the reason right there.

But to answer your question, I think it comes down to a few factors.  Cars are pretty expensive in Australia and Aussie tastes lean a bit more on the conservative side.  Secondly the roads here (no disrespect fellas) are pretty bad; not the smoothest surfaces in the world- I have driven a lot of places, US, Europe and can attest to the roads here; they are in general pretty crap and not as well maintained as they are in other countries.

For that I would say the i30 has a very compliant ride; not to harsh not too soft and for Aussie roads it is pretty much a perfect match.  If one has driven a Golf GTI or Mini the i30 is less harsh and a smoother ride, but on the other end a standard Subaru Impreza would be a fair bit softer in the ride compared to the i30.  For that, I think the i30 has nailed its market downunder- the ride quality is spot on the money.

If you adding up features and value for money compared to almost anything out there, you begin to lean toward the i30- Toyota Seca (more expensive for unknown reasons), VW Golf (far more expensive for reasons we know), Mazda3 (not my cup of tea, but also very popular), Subaru Impreza (very popular but really only in WRX guise and far more expensive) - for that the i30 stacks up well- good value for money, a large dealer network (VW's is very thin, Subaru not much larger) and a warranty that is nearly second to none.

I would say in Australia the only real contender to the i30 with respect to value for money and warranty is the Mitsubishi Lancer, but in my opinion is not nearly as nice a car, style or otherwise.

Let's face it, the Golf VI is the benchmark in its class. However it is hard to justify a 30% cost factor when you look at feature for feature, have an inferior warranty, and a patchy reliability record and a thin dealer network.  Don't get me wrong the VW is a great car, but when you start comparing other factors like registration and insurance costs, then the i30 becomes more and more attractive.

[Shambles]

...
Let's face it, the Golf VI is the benchmark in its class. However it is hard to justify a 30% cost factor when you look at feature for feature, have an inferior warranty, and a patchy reliability record and a thin dealer network.  ...

Very well put mate

[Surferdude]

 Secondly the roads here (no disrespect fellas) are pretty bad; not the smoothest surfaces in the world- I have driven a lot of places, US, Europe and can attest to the roads here; they are in general pretty crap and not as well maintained as they are in other countries.

No offence taken rider, but it's to be expected. After all we have a lot more area to cover with a MUCH smaller population to pay for it.
I prefer to think of our roads as "challenging"

[eye30]

I prefer to think of our roads as "challenging"

 

[trev012]

......  Let's face it, the Golf VI is the benchmark in its class. However it is hard to justify a 30% cost factor when you look at feature for feature, have an inferior warranty, and a patchy reliability record.........

I couldn't agree more .........

[Ozbrum]

 Speaking of Aussie roads and driving ...... I was reading the other day that here in Western Australia we have some of the worlds worst drivers ? we are very discourteous to each other, we have an ever growing number of road rage incidence, we just can't merge in to traffic with each other ! so bad infact even after a big advertising campaign on TV the main roads department are going to install traffic lights on our freeway merging lanes and lots of us are still having problems with the roundabout rules, we still tex and use our mobile phones while driving even though it carries a $150.00 fine and 3 demerit points.

The unfortunate thing is it's all true and not exaggerated 

[Dazzler]

Yeah.. I found it a bit scary when I was there last month....Love the way they swap from one side of the freeway to the other at 100kph