Two months ago, a Hyundai dealer inadvertently jumped the gun, and revealed that four all-new or refreshed vehicles are on their way courtesy of the Korean brand’s new distributor: Hyundai Motor Philippines, Inc. (HMPI).
It seems they haven’t learned their lesson because just today, the very same dealer revealed even more information than what the distributor had in store for those who attended the presser.
Now, we weren’t invited to the said presser, but we were still able to piece together this short piece and we didn’t even need to put our pants on.
It’s very clear that Hyundai Motor Philippines will be offering not one, not two, but five models as part of its opening salvo.
These are the Hyundai Staria MPV, the Creta sub-compact SUV, the Kona compact crossover, the all-new Tucson compact SUV, and the Santa Fe mid-sized SUV.
Weirdly enough, HMPI didn’t give any specifics as to what the Philippines will get save for the fact that the Tucson and Staria will arrive in July (stocks have reportedly started arriving).
As for positioning, the carmaker is said to be targeting a lower price point for its vehicles, while also improving its standard specifications.
And, as we previously reported, in terms of passenger cars, the Reina will be axed, but the Accent will be retained for now. Dealers have also reported asked for the Elantra, but given how thin that segment is, it is unlikely for Hyundai Motor Philippines to entertain this wish (unless we are talking about the Elantra N which dealers want as a halo model).
It’s also funny that no one actually fielded tough questions during the presser (or at least no one bothered to ask). This specifically surrounds the global recalls affecting several Hyundai models and covers everything from engine fires (we know of one specific local incident already), exploding seatbelt pre-tensioners, and even steering column failure.
In any case, if we do get to sit down with the new folks over at Hyundai, we’ll surely be asking these questions for you guys.
Hope they can quickly recover from HARI debacle...h changan turn now to be king LOL
ReplyDeleteKia should steal their thunder and release the Sportage before July.
ReplyDeleteKia should seize this opportunity, habang wala pa si Hyundai they should bring out their marketing guns lol
DeleteKona and Creta together? Previous reports stated that the Korean-sourced Kona would be replaced by the Indo-made Creta
ReplyDeleteMaybe they will go with 7 seater compact MPV Creta and retain Kona for the subcompact SUV segment.
DeleteFrom what someone has told me (I can't confirm), the Kona will go the turbo route. It'll be priced, therefore, against the HR-V and Corolla Cross giving some breathing room for them to slot the Creta underneath. Of course, this could very well mean the end of the Venue as well...unless the Venue will serve as their entry-level SUV, and the Creta, as mentioned, will take on the 7-seater body style.
DeleteInteresting as Kona is known in other countries as a fun to drive, quick crossover. Kona N line perhaps? Something for the enthusiasts out there.
DeleteI guess there's a chance it could be the 7 seat Creta, because the picture used previews the pre-facelift version. If i remember correctly, only the small 5 seat Creta got facelifted, while the 7 seat Grand Creta/Alcazar uses the old face.
DeleteVery good Uly that you mentioned about the Hyundai recalls. Very serious concerns.
ReplyDeleteThose who attended the presser simply had no guts to address the elephant in the room.
Hyundai, what will be the next vehicle problems?
Carguide keeps harping on these engine problems but Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai as sixth in reliability nearly the same as Honda. If these issues were a big problem it wouldn't be ranked that highly.
DeleteIn addition Uly, I will wait for the answers of Hyundai Ph to the tough questions that you will ask them. Thank you in advance. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's not a good idea from business perspective to potentially piss off a new entity that will for sure spend lots in marketing their products. Props for the courage to ask the tough questions for the consumers sake.
DeleteBecause that's what we do.
DeleteIf they try to make us not report the truth, or try to curb our opinion, then they're not ideal partners for us. At the same time, that's also the reason why our readers like us as well.
Delete99.9 percent of car sites in the PH do not do reviews. They are PR partners more than anything else, e.g. topg***r.ph. Seriously, what review can you really expect when they do the "review" wearing the car company's t-shirt. Most sites and "auto journalists" are just too flattered to be flown out of town gratis. Trust me, they're just helping sell the car. This explains the sorry state of our car industry and why companies still sell us cars sans airbags, in the year 2022. Most reviewers, if you can actually call them as such, are just too soft and too pretentious.
DeleteTopgear PH are a bunch of teenagers
DeleteYah dats buls...t reygan rides recommending kaicene to h subscriber who ask what is d best mpv for a family. Here in carguide review masagasaan na ang masagasaan...ur d MAN sir uly!
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ReplyDeleteHyundai Ph needs to bring in the Ioniq 5 as well.
ReplyDeleteI hope that they manage Hyundai better than the previous distributor...
ReplyDeleteCan you share Uly what happened to that local unit that caught fire? Scary.
ReplyDeleteI hope previous gen Kia Sorento is not affected. Though I cant find any recall bulletin in the US.
what? no casper....
ReplyDeleteYou only publish based on unofficial information—what a crap website.
ReplyDeleteWell yeah. If only HMPH would reach out to motoring media and offer information then we won't have to resort to being speculative, right? So far, every publication's coverage of HMPH products are speculative--they haven't released anything official yet.
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