Consider This: Hyundai

Does anyone remember when Hyundai set foot on U.S. soil? “KKK” (as in Korean Krap Kar) was one of the funnier monikers they received. Does anyone remember when Hyundai announced plans to become one of the top five automakers in the world? Rimshot. Cost-to-coast laugh track. Fast forward to the real world, and – oooops: Hyundai’s quality and reliability is now being thought of in the same vein as Toyota and Honda, Hyundai’s Alabama plant can’t make their cars fast enough and Hyundai was recently labelled the most fuel efficient automaker in the United States. It’s a long cry from the days of the Hyundai Pony, which was a load of old pony. Well guess what? Hyundai just broke another corporate milestone.

Auto Loan Daily reports Hyundai has broken into Kelley Blue Book’s Top Five Most Considered Automotive Brands, kicking out Nissan. The top five (in case you’re interested) goes like this:1. Ford 29%

2. Toyota 22%

3. Chevrolet 21%

4. Honda 20%

5. Hyundai 13%

Ford at the top is hardly surprising, given their recent run. Toyota at number 2 IS surprising. If I were to believe the media, Toyota is in their death-throes and that TTAC should crank up the “Toyota Death Watch” series. However, the recalls did have some damage as Toyota lost eight percentage points. Just goes to show you, you should never let a good witch hunt go to waste. Chevrolet at number three isn’t a big shock and neither is Honda at number four.

The promotion of Hyundai to number five represents an increase of nearly 6 percentage points over the past quarter. “The latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence findings show how the deck is being reshuffled in the automotive marketplace, with certain brands now holding places in consumer perception that we may not have believed just one or two years ago,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, “Ford continues its upward trajectory and Hyundai is truly on a roll. Both brands prove that when you make dynamic, exciting and affordable products that appeal to the new-car shopping masses, consumer perception begins to change and subsequently, sales will follow.” Should I mention the higher fleet sales? Better not, let’s try to leave a positive spin on this!