Big player in Europe’s SUV market
• Hyundai No. 3 in European SUV market with 11.4 per cent share
• Almost 100,000 European SUV customers
Rüsselsheim, February 10, 2006 – Hyundai Motor Company has gained a good reputation for building reliable cars that are appealing to many consumers. The most recent examples are Hyundai’s SUVs. Within six years Hyundai has managed to secure an 11.4 per cent share in the highly competitive European SUV market. In 2005 Hyundai ranked as the third most popular SUV brand in Europe, sales reaching close to 100,000 units. In some European countries Hyundai has even taken the No. 1 position in SUV sales.
Hyundai’s success in the SUV segment did not come unexpectedly. When it launched the Santa Fe in 1999, Hyundai was one of the first car manufacturers to introduce a modern style SUV in its vehicle line-up. It was developed as a lifestyle vehicle that stands apart from traditional American SUVs and traditional real off-roaders. In combining an appealing premium design, car-like comfort and handling, flexibility in use and off-road capabilities, the Santa Fe represents a type of SUV that has become increasingly popular with many consumers in Europe and was thus named “European-style SUV”.
Hyundai’s entry-level SUV, Tucson, was based on the same approach to lifestyle vehicles and was introduced in 2004 to meet rapidly growing demand for an additional, smaller all-rounder. With the Tucson, the Santa Fe and the more rugged Terracan, Hyundai’s market share in the SUV segment climbed rapidly in the past few years, contributing to Hyundai’s overall success in Europe.
In March, Hyundai will present the next generation Santa Fe at the Geneva Motor Show. The company is looking forward to offering this first-choice premium SUV, which has become bigger, more powerful and better-equipped.
Hyundai Motor Europe GmbH (HME) was established in 2000. Located in Rüsselsheim, Germany, it coordinates all marketing, sales and aftersales activities in all of Hyundai’s 26 European markets. It employs nearly 200 people of various nationalities. Hyundai is the third largest Asian automobile brand in Europe, with an annual European sales volume of approximately 350,000 vehicles. More information on Hyundai Motor Europe is available in the internet at http://www.hyundai-motor-europe.com.
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