Magic million for Hyundai Australia

HYUNDAI is celebrating its one-millionth local sale, 26 years after it first set up shop in Australia.

The car that hit the magic number was an ix35 SUV that was registered at the same dealership that also sold the first Hyundais in Australia.

John Hughes in Perth was Hyundai’s first local dealership after the South Korean brand was brought to Australia by Mr Hughes and then business partner Alan Bond in 1986.

Oliver Mann, the marketing director of Hyundai Motor Company Australia, which was established by the factory in 2003, said the company is grateful that Australian consumers had embraced the brand over the last two decades.

“The true significance of reaching one million sales in Australia is that so many astute local buyers have put their faith in the Hyundai brand when there is so much choice in the market,” he said.

Mr Mann said it was fitting the one-millionth vehicle sold was in the city where it all began, and that Hyundai would celebrate the ix35 owner’s purchase.

“We will be sending our one-millionth customer something special to share in our celebrations,” he said.

Left: Hyundai i30.

The Korean car-maker had humble beginnings in Australia, starting with just one model – the Excel – in its first year.

Hyundai encountered skepticism about the build quality and reliability of its early models, but soon found a place in the Australian market with cars that appealed to the price-conscious buyer.

While models such as the mid-size Sonata and sporty S-Coupe enjoyed moderate sales success, it was the third-generation Excel in the mid-1990’s that boosted the company’s sales and profile significantly in Australia.

In 1995, the Excel became the top-selling light car of the year and by 2000 – when the Excel nameplate was killed off and replaced with the bigger and more refined Accent – it had accumulated 250,000 sales.

However, the Accent could not match the Excel’s sales as competition arrived in the form of the Toyota Echo and Holden Barina. It was not until the arrival of the Getz in 2002 that Hyundai had another light-car sales winner on its hands.

Hyundai finally achieved critical success in 2007 with the release of the European-devised i30 hatch, which was praised for its ride and steering precision, won numerous local awards and was quickly seen as a well-priced alternative to more established small cars.

The i30 became the brand’s top-selling model and success has continued with the all-new second-generation model that arrived in May this year.

The Korean car-maker’s sales peaked last year at 87,008 units, or 8.6 per cent of the total Australian market, and have grown a further 5.0 per cent in the first half this year, to 45,306.