History of Hyundai
Hyundai Motor Company is a South Korean multinational automaker headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
Hyundai was founded in 1967 and it, along with Kia, together comprise the Hyundai Motor Group, which is the world's fourth largest automobile manufacturer, as of 2009.
As of 2011, it is the world's fastest growing automaker for two years running.
In 2008, Hyundai (without Kia) ranked as the eighth largest automaker. In 2010, Hyundai sold over 3.6 million vehicles worldwide.
Hyundai operates the world's largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, which is capable of producing 1.6 million units annually. The company employs about 75,000 persons worldwide. Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries through some 6,000 dealerships and showrooms. We are very proud to be associated with them here at the Bowater Motor Group.
Hyundai Motor Company, having led the history of Korea’s automotive industry, has reached the rank of global corporation thanks to our customers’ deep connection and love.
In 2010, Hyundai had a year of new challenges. Even in a difficult global economic environment, we recorded remarkable growth to 3.61 million vehicles sold in the global market; we took our place as a global corporation worthy of the name, 65th among the top 100 world brands with a brand value of $5 billion. We have grown steadily even in emerging markets. In China, which has become the world’s top automotive market, we recorded record sales, and in Russia a new factory has been completed, establishing a robust global production and sales structure. In America, the birthplace of the automotive industry, we broke 500,000 vehicles sold for the first time, and racked up plaudits from leading media and testing agencies. JD Power placed us first among Asian brands in customer service satisfaction and 1st in Vehicle Dependability Survey (VDS) for the third consecutive year.
Hyundai Motor Group created an integrated industrial structure — spanning from steel to vehicle — with the start up of two new blast furnaces at our integrated steelworks, further increasing our synergy as a resource-cycle group. The world market is changing very quickly. Corporations that do not adapt to this change will swiftly go from being the victors of yesterday to the failures of today. Innovative change and endless challenge are the only strategy for corporate survival.
In 2011, Hyundai Motor Company is launching a campaign to ensure the energy for growth with a new slogan: New Thinking. New Possibilities. — New ideas create new values. We will respond to the fast-changing international management environment by constructing a system for organic cooperation between production factory and sales headquarters in each country worldwide.
To this end, we will construct an advanced management system and spread a creative global organisational culture that prioritizes customers and talent in all departments. Additionally, while further strengthening quality management, we will ensure competitive superiority and fundamental technologies with environmental management, continuously expanding R&D and investment in eco-friendly vehicles.
Hyundai Motor Company will create new value with new ideas and always stay ahead of the competition in order to win the future, and will work to provide this new value to yet more customers.
Today, to repay the faith and trust of the customers who have made it into a global car maker worthy of the name, Hyundai Motor Company will take another great step into the future.