The Hyundai we know today isn’t just a single company, but is in fact a massive conglomerate. Officially known as the Hyundai Motor Group, it is currently the second largest company in South Korea (only behind the Samsung Group), and is the largest producer of automobiles in the country. With annual revenue exceeding well over USD 200 billion, the Hyundai Motor Group maintains several subsidiaries under its portfolio - including ventures that deal with construction & engineering, finance, heavy machinery, mining and logistics to name a few.
However, most of us know the Korean brand due to its foray into the world of automobiles under the guise of the Hyundai Motor Company, more commonly known as Hyundai. The automotive brand started conducting business for the first time in late 1967, founded by the late Chung Ju-yung. At present, the Hyundai Motor Company manufactures passenger cars, commercial vehicles and also powerplants of various capacities and for different applications.
While Japanese auto majors such as Honda and Toyota have developed hybrid and electrified vehicles, Hyundai isn’t behind either. The company currently boasts some of the most stylish, advanced and efficient hybrid cars such as the new Ioniq, with even hybridized variants of the marque’s already successful Sonata and Kona crossover gaining traction quite rapidly. Considering its sheer size, it wouldn’t in the least bit surprise you to know that Hyundai sells its vehicles in every country except for North Korea.
While the company’s entire automotive portfolio will be a bit much to cover in this article, safe to say that there dozens of vehicles across several segments - both passenger and commercial. With the growing popularity and market penetration of its cars, Hyundai has grown several folds in the past decade or so. The company also owns a sizeable chunk of Kia Motors and has its own luxury automobile arm in the form of Genesis.
In nations like the United Arab Emirates, Hyundai’s line-up consists of well over a dozen models - ranging from the modest i10 hatchback, all the way up to the flagship of the Genesis brand (the G90) that wears a sticker price of over AED 350,000. While that isn’t the most affordable car in the market, the Genesis G90 still holds true to the Hyundai parent brand’s core values of superb reliability, excellent comfort and value for money - especially when compared to its German rivals.
What some of you might not be aware of is that Hyundai’s very first, mass-market car was the Pony. It was launched way back in 1974, and even made its way to the Middle East market. Meanwhile, sedans like the Accent, Elantra and Sonata helped Hyundai reach almost every segment which was earlier dominated by Japanese carmakers. And if you are trying to figure out what Hyundai means -- it is essentially the Korean word for ‘modernity’.
At the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, Hyundai unveiled the funky yet futuristic-looking 45 Concept. The Hyundai 45 Concept, while still not fully ready for production, was an exercise by the marque to showcase its technological know-how in the field of electrification. According to Hyundai, it is now intently focused on developing fully-electric cars with up-to-date features and safety equipment. While Kia already has a few electric/hybrid vehicles under its belt, one shouldn’t forget that the two companies (Hyundai and Kia) aren’t too dissimilar.
From its less-than-perfect start over half a century ago, the Hyundai Motor Company is currently one of the world’s largest automakers. Meanwhile, parent firm Hyundai Motor Group is a massive entity and employs well over a quarter of a million people. Hyundai cars have gone on to become some of the best-selling and well-liked vehicles in their respective categories, with the Korean brand now enjoying a loyal fan base the world over.
