Saar: Among other aspects, its ‘Modern Premium Brand’ direction seems to be clicking well with customers.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd is one of the oldest and amongst the most successful carmakers in the country. In fact, it sits second to only Maruti Suzuki which is a hard act to match. That said, Hyundai has been busy in changing its brand perception of late. It wants its loyalists and prospects to know that it is no longer just a mass-market player. Instead, with products like the Elantra and Tucson, it wants to get counted amongst Skodas, Volkswagens and Toyotas in the premium category.

As per Hyundai, the plan seems to be working. It said that its brand power under the ‘Modern Premium Brand’ direction has been gaining momentum. In fact, Y K Koo, MD and CEO, Hyundai Motor India, himself shared some interesting statistics. In his own words:

“As a ‘Most Loved’ and ‘Trusted’ brand we have attained a remarkable growth in brand power. The enhanced Brand Power Index increased our awareness from 77 per cent in 2016 to 80 per cent in 2017 in India. Hyundai’s brand preference went up from 69.7 per cent to 70.7 per cent and repurchase intention grew by 3.2 per cent to 76.2 per cent in the same period. We further strengthened our commitment by creating high quality cars along-with world class after sales services for the customers, resulting in number 1 rank in JD Power 2017 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) study. This is a true reflection of Hyundai Brand Trust within our customers in the Indian market.”

In the JD Power 2017 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) study, Hyundai achieved the highest score in after-sales customer satisfaction. It pipped Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors, both of which shared the second spot. The study was based on responses from 7,878 new-vehicle owners who purchased theirs between May 2015 and August 2016.

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The South Korean company has also witnessed an upward trend in sales numbers of its ‘premium segment’ cars. The company accounts the Xcent, Elite i20, i20 Active, Verna, Creta, Elantra and Tucson as ‘premium segment’ cars. Cumulatively, they grew by 6.35 per cent from FY2015-16 to 60.54 per cent in FY2016-17.

Hyundai Motor India is currently working a number of products. The Eon’s replacement is in the testing phase and a sub-4 metre SUV is also in the making. Most importantly though, the company is laying out a plan to steadily phase itself out of the mass-market game and let its subsidiary, Kia Motors, take the charge.