RIYADH, 13 May 2005 — Azera, the largest sedan from Hyundai family, will make its debut on the Saudi market in September, coinciding with the Kingdom’s National Day. This was disclosed to Arab News by J.I. Kim, senior executive vice president and COO of Hyundai Motor Co., who said HMC will be producing two to three models every year as part of its strategy to capture a bigger share of the automobile market. Currently, it ranks among the top five auto manufacturers of the world. J.E. Kim, senior vice president for Middle East and Africa, was also present.
Kim and his accompanying delegation have arrived here to celebrate 20 years of partnership with the Al-Wallan Group, Hyundai’s dealer for the Central Province.
Referring to the upcoming launch of the Azera, he said it is the third of seven all-new or redesigned Hyundai vehicles to be launched in a 24-month period, completely revamping the Hyundai lineup. Azera will have segment-leading standard safety features, refined styling, and content that is generally reserved for higher-priced luxury sedans.
The Azera has a much more elegant look than the XG350 it replaces, both inside and out. Larger in every dimension, the interior is quite roomy. It is said to be the largest sedan Hyundai has ever produced, with more interior room than the Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima or even the BMW 760i.
Asked about the sale of Hyundai cars in the Kingdom, J.E. Kim said they had gone up by 50 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. As for Middle East and North Africa, it was 72 percent up over the same period.
Elaborating on his statement, J.I. Kim said the projection for the Middle East and Africa market this year was 200,000 units and for Saudi Arabia 65,000 units.
The COO attributed the surge in car sales to a combination of factors, including HMC’s accent on R&D and marketing strategy, both at the corporate level and the dealers’ level Kingdom-wide.
In terms of R&D Hyundai’s budget had expanded 110 percent since 1999 to reach $1.6 billion this year. In this context Time magazine (April 25, 2005) quoted HMC Chairman Chung Mong Koo, according to whom they had delayed the launch of a new Sonata in Korea by two months while engineers cleaned up 50 minor defects to give their customers a foolproof car.
Speaking on the occasion, Saad Wallan, chairman, Al-Wallan Group, announced that they will launch next month a new training scheme to prepare Saudis for a career in auto mechanics. It will be a three-month training scheme during which they will receive hands-on experience on Hyundai vehicles.
“We have already received permission from the government to start the course. They will receive a monthly salary of $300-500, equivalent to SR1,125-1,875.”