Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai passenger cars and commercial vehicles (CV) in the Philippines, unveiled its new Hyundai Modern Jeepney at the Hyundai Power Solutions Business Mobility Expo held at the LausGroup Event Centre in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Underscoring Hyundai’s mission to provide total customer mobility and payload solutions to businesses, HARI President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo affirmed, “The debut of the new Hyundai Modern Jeepney reflects the company’s steadfast commitment to support the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). We believe that fleet modernization is an important step towards the economic progress of the Philippines, and we have been working closely with the Department of Transportation to ensure that this vision becomes a reality.”

Representing a new concept in the public transportation landscape, the Hyundai Modern Jeepney exhibits unique engineering characterized by a proprietary cab and chassis design with proven stability to withstand the daily punishment brought about by the mass transport requirements of the commuting public.

Its unique body design is a product of innovative young minds of the University of the Philippines College of Architecture and Interior Design and the College of Engineering, and the technical expertise of Hyundai Motor Company’s (HMC) Research and Development Center in Seoul, Korea.

This modern means of mass transportation translates to better stability and performance through optimized height-to-width ratio and higher power-to- weight ratio. As such, the Hyundai Modern Jeepney presents itself as a reliable and sturdy road partner for drivers and commuters alike. Further enhancing its dependability is its Euro IV CRDi engine for better fuel efficiency and cleaner emissions. It also comes equipped with the mandatory modern Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) features such as automated payment system (Beep card-enabled system), WiFi connectivity, GPS tracking, CCTV cameras for security, and speed limiter technology.

The Hyundai Modern Jeepney is assembled in partnership with Del Monte Motor Works, Inc. (DMMWI), one of the pioneer and leading body manufacturers in the Philippines. Established in 1950, DMMWI has been promoting Filipino engineering ingenuity through skilled and capable craftsmanship of durable bodies for trucks and buses. As a partner, DMMWI shares in HARI CV’s mission of providing sustainable, durable, and world-class customer and B2B mobility and payload solutions for the Filipino.

“Hyundai and Del Monte have been working together on fleet modernization since 2017,” Ms. Agudo noted. “Like Hyundai, Del Monte has a strong heritage of building quality bodies for buses and trucks. We are supremely confident in our partner’s capacity to fulfill our target for PUV modernization, with their capable facilities and expert Filipino craftsmen.”

For its entry in the PUV modernization program, Hyundai has initially allocated 800 units to support the transport requirements of various groups in key regions. Hyundai targets to provide the first 400 units of its modern jeepneys to its priority batch of partners and key transport cooperatives, namely, the 11 transport groups that comprise the Public Transport Alliance of General Santos (PTAG) in South Cotabato; the three transport cooperatives from Tanay, Rizal, specifically: Isabela Tourist Transport Service Cooperative, Jardan Transport Services and Development Cooperative, and Amore Transport Cooperative; and the Sapang Palay Minuyan Loop Transport Service Cooperative in Bulacan. Hyundai aims to field its first fleet of modern jeepneys to the Philippine roads by first half of 2019.