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Sedans Hyundai Azera Is Hyundai supporting the Azera?
89 messages, Last post on Aug 16, 2009 at 7:01 PM
You are in the Hyundai Azera Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: floridabob1 (Jan 31, 2007 8:28 am)  I was loyal to the Honda Accord for 29 years, that's two Accords, a new 1977 and a slightly-used 1990, only owned two cars in 29 years but the lack-luster Accord front-end styling for the last several years had me looking around... and the Sonata caught my eye, then the Azera caught my eye and held it... 
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Replying to: floridabob1 (Jan 31, 2007 8:28 am) I agree with you. I perceive that Hyundai has yet to position itself and its dealerships to deal with an upscale, luxury/entry luxury car and their type of customers that this type of car will attract. It's very difficult to sell an Elantra and gear the floor of the dealership to a higher entry level. Even the sales force has to be of a certain mindset. I have actually told this to my sales manager, but they are catering to the bulk of their customer base, and this is not being snobbish. It's a fact of doing business with the various levels of the customer base. I doubt that most of us who have Azeras would be enticed into a dealership by ads proclaiming "poor credit accepted", nor would we be asked to bring in salary stubs for the past 6 months. It's all a mindset. In my opinion when and if Hyundai comes out with a rear wheel drive luxury car they will think about establishing a new division just like Toyota/Lexus and Nissan/Infiniti. Meanwhile my loyalty to Hyundai is not based so much on the 2 cars I own, but on the performance of my dealership and that has been above reproach. Now we will have to wait and see corporate's response. Don
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Replying to: drdonrs (Jan 31, 2007 11:50 am) If the dealership treats you well, you have won half the battle. Bob
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Replying to: floridabob1 (Jan 31, 2007 12:44 pm) sedan, like the Avalon or Lucerne. After nearly 3 years on the market the Avalon is still plagued by the same problems since it's intro. Initially it was rated by CR as average now it is rated as better than average. The Azera however, was rated as much better than average in it's first year. The Azera's problems have been minimal compared to the new Camry or Avalon, of who's many problems have yet to be acknowledged much less addressed by Toyota.
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Replying to: tinydog1 (Jan 31, 2007 10:35 pm) Two of my friends own 06 Avalon Limiteds. Neither have had any issues with their cars. I'm not aware of the actual numbers, but from what I have seen on the road, Avalon outsells Azera by a tremendous ratio. The Hyundai dealerships that I have visited all referred to the Azera as Hyundai's entry to the "luxury" market. I'm not sure that Lexus or Infiniti use the term "Luxury" in their printed matter. Most car buyers do not participate in Forums, therefore it is difficult to determine the satisfaction level of the purchasers of any model. |
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Found this astute analysis on a different site, and I quote: ---------- By reading the financial pages, I learned Hyundai has been in two types of problems, work-related and legal. The work aspect is that the company has been plagued by multiple stops in the production of their vehicles in South Korea, where the Azera is made, since the very start. Their workers have been on strike for higher wages and better working conditions every year but one since 1987. Last year was the worst ever in this area, with 17 days of strike causing a production loss of 115000 vehicles. I guess they figure there's no point in advertising if they can't make enough cars to answer the current demand. If they advertise, the car could sell a lot, but people wouldn't be able to get it for months. In Canada, at least in Ontario, the 2007 model is not even arrived yet. The legal aspect is that their chairman, Chung Mong-koo, has been in trouble for the last few years. Yesterday he was handed a three-year jail term for illegally raising a $110 million (u.s.) slush fund to seek government favors. Mind you, he appealed the decision and was released on bail so he won't go to prison any time soon. Actually he's been allowed back into the boardroom for the time being. This guy has been there since 1999 and is credited for expanding greatly the Hyundai brand by opening new plants and putting the emphasis on quality. At the same time, he seems to have a confrontational attitude with his workers. So these two problems probably don't have a big effect on the Sonata and the new Santa Fe because these models are produced at their Alabama plant (opened in 2005), but it's got to cause a big slowdown in South Korea where the Azera is made.
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Replying to: gamleged (Feb 07, 2007 6:48 am) Hyundai is still the largest manufacturer in South Korea, and plans to build over 1.7 vehicles in the South Korea facilities in the year 2007. I believe that they can build and support any amount of Azera's that the US market can sell. They may choose not to do so, but not beacause of the legal problems with their chairman. |
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If I may make a different argument: Is Hyundai USA supporting the Accent? The Azera has seen its fair share of media attention in the US while it has been slim picking on the Accent. In addition to the regular media outlets, Hyundai was also the sponsor for two big events, the World Cup and the MLB Playoffs, and HMA aired fair amount of Azera ads. On the other hand, I have not seen one stand-alone Accent ad yet, since introduction of the current generation. The Accent, specifically the 3 door, has enjoyed brisk sales, but the strikes and other events (mainly strikes though) have hampered production in great amount. In my area, every 3 door that has arrived to the dealers are being sold in a short period, I have been told dealers cannot keep them in stock. I know historically these cars generally do not generate much profit, if any, which may be HMA's approach on advertising budgets and allocations, but...give us one!!! By the way, I like both the Accent and the Azera, in their own ways And side note, if the Accent SR becomes production one day, you can add me as a Hyundai owner and I would put my deposit down the day of the announcement
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http://www.azeraforum.com/showthread.php?tid=143&page=2 Read the last thread there.
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Replying to: killerztp (Feb 07, 2007 6:45 pm)
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