Post by eCkS on May 27, 2004 21:32:34 GMT -5
this is awesome... i found this on a aussie website...
from carsales
Hyundai Australia in brand rebuild
Sales attack: HMAC chief executive Bong Gou Lee and the CCS concept. Indications from HMC management in Seoul are that it is close to launching a roadster to rival Mazda’s MX-5 and Toyota’s MR2.
Hyundai Australia embarks on an ambitious marketing campaign
By TERRY MARTIN 12 May 2004
HYUNDAI Motor Co Australia (HMCA) has increased its marketing budget 67 per cent to $50 million in 2004 as it rebuilds the brand in Australia and strives to return to 60,000 annual sales before 2007.
Such a result has not been achieved since 1997, when the Excel small car was the third-biggest seller in Australia behind the Falcon and Commodore and accounted for close to two-thirds of the South Korean car-maker’s total volume.
Notwithstanding the downward trend since then, HMCA chief executive Bong Gou Lee has told GoAuto the marque would double its 2003 volume to achieve 60,000 in "two or three years" – without resorting to the feverish discounting it used the late-1990s, which tarnished its brand value and has restricted the success of better class vehicles ever since.
"We have a medium-term target of 60,000 in two or three years," Mr Lee said. "By 2010 we’ll have 80,000 or more."
The 2004 sales goal is 40,000, which Mr Lee said would be reached with continued strong Getz and Accent small car sales, concerted marketing efforts behind the Sonata sedan and Terracan all-terrain wagon, relaunches of the Tiburon coupe and Santa Fe soft-roader and the introduction of the Tucson small 4WD.
"We have various areas to improve," Mr Lee said. "We have to improve our dealer network facilities, the capability of the sales team and also we need to give more confidence to our customers on the reality of what we have. We have to improve our customer satisfaction."
Since Hyundai Motor Co took direct control of its Australian affairs from Cycle & Carriage (Hyundai Automotive Distributors Australia) in October 2003, Mr Lee and his management team have deleted the La Vita mini-MPV from the stable and withdrawn several other models until the retail network is better trained and increased marketing funds become available.
"Part of the problem we had when we released five or six products over 18 months was just purely the amount of money HADA had, or was prepared to invest in, positioning those products,” said HMCA director of sales and marketing Theo van Doore.
"If you look at the growth, post-Excel, in terms of just the number of products we introduced in the marketplace in a very, very short period of time, it was almost overwhelming. The cost of doing so for HADA at the time was quite astronomical, so it was almost too much too quick."
Mr van Doore said HMCA had increased its marketing budget from $30 million in 2003 to $50 million this year and would concentrate its expenditure on higher-grade vehicles, most of which have struggled to win widespread acceptance in Australia.
"We accept that it’s going to take a little bit of time to pass the ‘barbecue test’ where there is a certain amount of pride with owning a new Hyundai," he said.
"We’ve got some scars and some wounds of years gone by, which we are now remedying, and we’re improving the way we advertise.
"It wouldn’t be unusual for the price point of some of our products to change four or five times in the one year. There was a certain amount of discontent amongst our buyers because of the inconsistency in our pricing."
New model releases demonstrating Hyundai’s ongoing improvements in design, driving and manufacture will also be critical.
Following the release of Tucson (left) in August, over a 12-month period HMCA will have all-new versions of the Sonata, Accent, Santa-Fe and Grandeur large sedan – all of which will serve as an important indicator on how far the brand has evolved.
"Australian consumers are saying to us that ‘something is happening to Hyundai (but) I’m not too sure what it is yet’," said Mr van Doore. "There’s a lot more confidence than we’ve experienced for quite some time in the brand, so in 12 months’ time we’ll be in a much better position in terms of the perception of who we are and what we are.
"We’ll have volume products (but) it’s also important for people to understand the depth of the brand through the various products that we have available.
"Even now, even to this day, despite the money that we’ve spent and the research we’re doing and the communications, a lot of people still don’t know about all of what we have."
HYUNDAI SALES IN AUSTRALIA
Will the worm turn again for the South Korean marque – this time, without the Excel?
1996 48,871
1997 59,798
1998 57,219
1999 47,133
2000 45,331 (Excel discontinued June)
2001 40,056
2002 34,176
2003 30,921
2004 40,000 est.
2006/7 60,999 est.
2010 80,000 est.
Source (1996-2003): VFACTS
continued in next post
from carsales
Hyundai Australia in brand rebuild
Sales attack: HMAC chief executive Bong Gou Lee and the CCS concept. Indications from HMC management in Seoul are that it is close to launching a roadster to rival Mazda’s MX-5 and Toyota’s MR2.
Hyundai Australia embarks on an ambitious marketing campaign
By TERRY MARTIN 12 May 2004
HYUNDAI Motor Co Australia (HMCA) has increased its marketing budget 67 per cent to $50 million in 2004 as it rebuilds the brand in Australia and strives to return to 60,000 annual sales before 2007.
Such a result has not been achieved since 1997, when the Excel small car was the third-biggest seller in Australia behind the Falcon and Commodore and accounted for close to two-thirds of the South Korean car-maker’s total volume.
Notwithstanding the downward trend since then, HMCA chief executive Bong Gou Lee has told GoAuto the marque would double its 2003 volume to achieve 60,000 in "two or three years" – without resorting to the feverish discounting it used the late-1990s, which tarnished its brand value and has restricted the success of better class vehicles ever since.
"We have a medium-term target of 60,000 in two or three years," Mr Lee said. "By 2010 we’ll have 80,000 or more."
The 2004 sales goal is 40,000, which Mr Lee said would be reached with continued strong Getz and Accent small car sales, concerted marketing efforts behind the Sonata sedan and Terracan all-terrain wagon, relaunches of the Tiburon coupe and Santa Fe soft-roader and the introduction of the Tucson small 4WD.
"We have various areas to improve," Mr Lee said. "We have to improve our dealer network facilities, the capability of the sales team and also we need to give more confidence to our customers on the reality of what we have. We have to improve our customer satisfaction."
Since Hyundai Motor Co took direct control of its Australian affairs from Cycle & Carriage (Hyundai Automotive Distributors Australia) in October 2003, Mr Lee and his management team have deleted the La Vita mini-MPV from the stable and withdrawn several other models until the retail network is better trained and increased marketing funds become available.
"Part of the problem we had when we released five or six products over 18 months was just purely the amount of money HADA had, or was prepared to invest in, positioning those products,” said HMCA director of sales and marketing Theo van Doore.
"If you look at the growth, post-Excel, in terms of just the number of products we introduced in the marketplace in a very, very short period of time, it was almost overwhelming. The cost of doing so for HADA at the time was quite astronomical, so it was almost too much too quick."
Mr van Doore said HMCA had increased its marketing budget from $30 million in 2003 to $50 million this year and would concentrate its expenditure on higher-grade vehicles, most of which have struggled to win widespread acceptance in Australia.
"We accept that it’s going to take a little bit of time to pass the ‘barbecue test’ where there is a certain amount of pride with owning a new Hyundai," he said.
"We’ve got some scars and some wounds of years gone by, which we are now remedying, and we’re improving the way we advertise.
"It wouldn’t be unusual for the price point of some of our products to change four or five times in the one year. There was a certain amount of discontent amongst our buyers because of the inconsistency in our pricing."
New model releases demonstrating Hyundai’s ongoing improvements in design, driving and manufacture will also be critical.
Following the release of Tucson (left) in August, over a 12-month period HMCA will have all-new versions of the Sonata, Accent, Santa-Fe and Grandeur large sedan – all of which will serve as an important indicator on how far the brand has evolved.
"Australian consumers are saying to us that ‘something is happening to Hyundai (but) I’m not too sure what it is yet’," said Mr van Doore. "There’s a lot more confidence than we’ve experienced for quite some time in the brand, so in 12 months’ time we’ll be in a much better position in terms of the perception of who we are and what we are.
"We’ll have volume products (but) it’s also important for people to understand the depth of the brand through the various products that we have available.
"Even now, even to this day, despite the money that we’ve spent and the research we’re doing and the communications, a lot of people still don’t know about all of what we have."
HYUNDAI SALES IN AUSTRALIA
Will the worm turn again for the South Korean marque – this time, without the Excel?
1996 48,871
1997 59,798
1998 57,219
1999 47,133
2000 45,331 (Excel discontinued June)
2001 40,056
2002 34,176
2003 30,921
2004 40,000 est.
2006/7 60,999 est.
2010 80,000 est.
Source (1996-2003): VFACTS
continued in next post
(could it be "the roadster" mentioned?).
Being that I am still working on how to post pics, use yahoo's image search for HCD-6 to see the car.