speedflex

Hyundai smokes the competition

(Fortune Magazine) -- On the second floor of the 21-story Hyundai Motor headquarters in the south of Seoul is a 24-hour operations hub, the Global Command and Control Center (GCCC). Modeled after the CNN newsroom in Atlanta with dozens of computer screens relaying video and data, it keeps watch on Hyundai operations around the world.

Parts shipments are tracked from the time they leave the supplier until they reach a plant. Cameras peer into assembly lines from Beijing to Montgomery and keep a close watch on Hyundai's giant Ulsan, Korea, plant, the world's largest integrated auto factory and the scene of frequent labor unrest.

Are competitors' spies lurking? The GCCC watches over Hyundai R&D activities in Europe, Japan, and North America, as well as its sprawling, 4,300-acre test facility in California's Mojave Desert, with its 6.4-mile oval track.

Almost no outsiders, and certainly no visitors from Fortune, are allowed inside the GCCC to view the operation firsthand. Hyundai employees aren't even supposed to talk about it. But its existence says volumes about how Hyundai views itself and the rest of the world.

Hyundai is a confident, hyperaggressive company that not only wants to win, it expects to win. By monitoring operations in real time, Hyundai can identify problems in an instant and react quickly. It is a different philosophy for an auto company. Whereas Toyota (TM) thrives on consistency and Honda (HMC) on innovation, Hyundai is all about aggressiveness and speed.

These days Hyundai (rhymes with "Sunday") could get ticketed for exceeding the limit. Powered by a weak Korean won and a revitalized product line, it is ramping up volumes in major markets around the world.

Along with sister company Kia, of which it owns 39%, Hyundai has a hammerlock on Korea, with 80% of sales this year. In the U.S. generous incentives for retail customers and fleet purchases have pushed sales up a strong 7% in a market down 24%. November was a spectacular month: Hyundai brand sales jumped 46% from the previous year, and Kia rose 18%.

In China, where auto sales have skyrocketed this year thanks to government stimulus, Hyundai leaped 150% in September, leaving the company in second place, behind Volkswagen, among international automakers.

Rest of article after the link
http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/04/auto...tune/index.htm

joe80

watch out nissan and honda. toyota? probably not in 10-15 years.

The G Man

First it was the Japanese, now its the Koreans, next it will be the Chinese, then India. Its all about who can make the best produce the cheapest.

KA8

iTrader: (1)

TheY seem to be doing things right. They're masters at using other people's talents and making them work nicely. Making good products is one thing and marketing them is another ball game

2000LEX

iTrader: (2)

Hyundai builds some really nice cars. If only most people including myself can get past the name, They could sell many more.

The G Man

Its not just a matter of getting pass the name, it more of remembering history. It will take me a while to forget about the crappy quality on the older Hyundai.
Naturally, cars that are market as a value and a good buy such as Hyundai is going to sell better in this economy. Hyundai combine that value with a decent quality car, thats a tough combination to beat for any one looking for a bargain and are willing to take a chance.

madoka

Seems most of the kids on this site never knew how crappy Japanese cars were. When I was a kid, "made in Japan" was an insult and meant that you bought something cheap and shoddy.

The G Man

Yup, I remember those days. Now a days, people actually look for a Lexus built in Japan as oppose to Canada. Korea and China will be next, they may be considered cheap cars now, but Korean will get to the top within this decade and China in a few decade. I think by then, Japanese cars will be much like the US cars of today and the US car will be nothing more than a niche vehicle, much like Harley Davidson in motorcycle.

I8ABMR

The Japanese needs to watch their backs. They cant get complacent like the American and German did when the Japanese were gunning for their customers.

LexFather

I love their focus.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Hyundai has come along way.. Who would have thought that Hyundai would be competing with the Japanese and German engineering.. And we all laughed when the first Hyundai hits the streets...

The G Man

At this point, I think its just a matter of time before Hyundai over take the Japanese. The Japanese can slow them down, but they will not stop it.

Haitwun

I for one am looking forward to the Equus. If they price it around $50k, Hyundai might make Lexus and Mercedes nervous.

Blackraven

As mentioned by another forumer previously: "That's Globalization for you."

YEH

Maybe overtake the 3 Japanese brands in the worldwide market outside the US, since the Hyundai execs have wisely put more effort in the quickly growing China and India markets than have the Japanese Big 3, but it would be very difficult to overtake Toyota (definitely Nissan and maybe Honda) in the US market (interesting enough, Hyundai probably will eventually overtake Toyota across the border in Canada).