Hyundai Motor Group nähert sich 12 % US-Anteil und fordert Ford um die Top 3 heraus

I see more Genesis in the US than ever before and that line was on life support a few years ago.

The US is now among the VERY few that doesn’t allow Chinese cars. If they’re allowed in, they’d absolutely be eating up the Korean car company’s share.

Honestly the value proposition of Chinese cars are simply unbeatable, regardless of the prejudice that they face for being Made in China.

Hyundai / Kia can’t languish and be comfortable being the budget and value-for-money offering in the US. They must build a SOLID reputation and be recognised as a brand representing excellence / reliability / all that good stuff, similar to Toyota… in order to survive a Chinese opening, which will directly challenge all sectors, starting from the budget and value-for-money sectors.

I suspect that this is what HMG is doing right now – entering and competing in WEC with the big boys (… FINALLY I should add, it only took them 50 years even though they’re a world top 3 car manufacturer) – to (test and) prove their reliability and build their sporting pedigree, something that the Chinese do not have at the moment.

Hyundai does have some sporting pedigree – they compete and are very good in TCR and WRC – but yes, they need to do something bigger to actually get noticed, and that would be a GOOD result in WEC.

Again, Hyundai needs to to build a solid reputation in the US. They face a lot of prejudice, particularly online, despite their sales records in the US, due to reliability issues around their Theta II engines (infamous), the „Kia boys“ fiasco and dealership controversies. They cannot stay comfortable with budget options and only offer a value proposition. They must continue build a solid reputation based on quality, reliability and sporting legacy… Have legendary cars and a loyal fanbase. Otherwise they are Fked sooner than later.

See what’s happening to them (and others) in Australia and Europe, where Chinese cars have recently been allowed in.

the PHEV angle is the part that often gets overlooked in these market share discussions. Tucson and Santa Fe PHEVs have been selling really well in the US precisely because they sidestep the range anxiety issue entirely. people who aren’t ready to go full BEV but want better fuel economy are a massive market and HMG has been smart about targeting it. the Chinese EV threat is real long term but PHEVs give Hyundai/Kia a buffer that pure BEV makers don’t have.