Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

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  impeccable vehicle - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By vasilios - April 2 - 4:56 pm

  its a dream car for the price of a cheap car. who wouldve thought a hyundai would turn heads?

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  Think about sunny days - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Judith Duncan - April 2 - 8:36 am

  Love the car it rides like a caddy and gets great gas mileage. Problem with the tires on wet pavement when you accelerate

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  I love my car - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kendall kape - April 1 - 10:00 am

  Its the best car ever, fun, safe and easy to control.

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  Love It !!!!!!!!!!!! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Marsbar - April 1 - 10:00 am

  Great new car experience. Would recommend this car to any women or first time younger buyers for the reliability and economy of it.

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  Hyundai is great buy! - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By coolpop - April 1 - 2:00 am

  I was very lucky with my Hyundai Accent that I bought in 1997. Never had a single problem, only regular oil changes and maintenance. Now I am selling it for $3000, I think its very reasonable. It has 60,000 miles on it. Gets great mileage, inexpensive tires, etc. Very reliable.

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  11500 miles and couldnt be happier!!! - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By VeraCruzin - March 31 - 8:50 am

  Bought the VeraCruz in March for summer vacation. Drove from Houston to Orlando and back with no problems or complaints. Initially had issue with fuel pump and had poor mileage (combined app. 15 mpg). Pump was changed out and am getting about 23mpg at 85mph, 25mpg at 75mph, and a whopping 30+ when I toodle at around 50!! The interior is great! The ride is quiet and smooth! Im stopped quite often and asked how I like it and I share! Except for the fuel pump, which was changed quickly, I have had no problem with this vehicle.

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  A Very Nice Surprise - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By apache - March 30 - 10:00 am

  I was truly surprised when I took this exciting looking sports coupe for a test drive, and found it felt solid, had ample zip, and was fun to drive. I bought it and took it home that afternoon. The value of this automobile is incredible, with features and performance of cars costing many thousands more. On top of that the warranty is fantastic.

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  Excellent car!!! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jose Perez - March 30 - 10:00 am

  Excellent car, greater value

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  96 Elantra great car - 1996 Hyundai Elantra
  By MJA - March 28 - 2:00 am

  A trouble-free, economical car. the best economy car I have owned.

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  2003 Hyundai Tiburon GTV6 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By JFrusci - March 27 - 12:56 am

  Hyundai did a great job at redesigning this car. I would recommend this car to anyone. If you are considering this car, I strongly suggest you get the V6. This car is much heavier than previous years, therefore it would be too much stress on the V4. Overall the added weight adds to your safety.