Hyundai builds reputation in Europe

By Kim Tong-hyung

Staff reporter

Hyundai Motor, the South Korean auto giant, is enjoying an improved reputation in Europe, company officials said, evidenced by its cars topping an annual quality review by influential German magazine, AutoBild.

Hyundai edged better-known firms such as BMW, Toyota and Audi to take the first-place honors in this year's AutoBild Quality Report, which has been released since 2001 and is based on a comprehensive analysis of the quality of vehicles, innovation and the repair and after-sales services of the carmaker. Hyundai finished 11th out of 20 companies on the 2007 list, but elevated itself to fifth in the 2009 rankings.

AutoBild's annual list is based on reviews conducted by more than 9,200 experts and veteran drivers, who tested the vehicles released in the German market by the 20 major carmakers, starting from the 2003 models to the latest.

``For Hyundai to top the quality list in a review by German drivers epitomizes the company's successful efforts to improve the quality of its products and consumer services,'' said Allan Rushforth, vice president of Hyundai Motor Europe, in a statement released in Korean.

``We plan to provide quicker and more accurate and sophisticated services to our consumers in Germany and other European markets to improve the company's brand reputation.''

The European media have been generous to Hyundai recently. The company's Tucson iX, which is sold in Germany under the name iX35, bested rival products such as Nissan's Qashqai and Renault's Koleos in a review of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) by AutoBild and Allrad, AutoBild's separate publication for off-road vehicles.

British magazine, Motor Trader, recently named Hyundai as the car franchise of the year in its annual ``Motor Trader Industry Awards,'' which have been announced since 1998.