Hyundai Motor Wins 3 Awards in AutoPacific Satisfaction Poll
By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
Hyundai Motor said Wednesday that it has been selected as one of the multiple award winners for three of its brands -- Grandeur, Santa Fe and Tucson -- in this year’s vehicle satisfaction awards given by a noted automotive consulting firm.
In the Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) by AutoPacific Inc., the Grandeur, Santa Fe and Tucson were chosen as the top 2007 model performers in the categories of luxury car, mid-size crossover SUV (sport utility vehicle) and minivan, respectively, according to a Hyundai spokesperson.
Summarizing the results of vehicle satisfaction research in each model, the annual award by the U.S. firm is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new car or light truck.
AutoPacific said the brand with the highest satisfaction rating this year was the Infiniti and the vehicle registering highest overall satisfaction was the Cadillac DTS.
With the categories totaling 25, multiple award winners at the manufacturer level included General Motors and Toyota (six categories), Ford (five categories), Hyundai Motor and Nissan (three categories) and Honda (two categories).
Hyundai’s Santa Fe, in particular, has taken top place in the mid-size crossover SUV category six times in the past seven years. AutoPacific President George Peterson mentioned the strong performance of the vehicle.
``The Santa Fe was the first Korean vehicle to win the Vehicle Satisfaction Award -- in 2001 -- and continues its strong performance for the sixth year in a row,’’ he said. ``Winning an AutoPacific VSA is testament for any vehicle that their owners are confident they have made the right choice.’’
``We think our continuous efforts to improve the quality of our motor vehicles led to the enhancement of the company’s brand value and consumer satisfaction in the United States,’’ the Hyundai Motor spokesperson said.
In addition to identifying category winners, VSA also establishes numerical satisfaction ratings for virtually every passenger car and light truck on the North American market.
Owner satisfaction is measured across 46 specific areas related to a vehicle’s operation, comfort, safety and the overall purchase/lease experience. AutoPacific said the 2007 ratings reflect input from buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired from September through December 2006.