Will Hyundai Gain a Foothold in Japan?

Hyundai Motor’s exports to the U.S. and Europe surged. Not so to Japan: instead, Japanese cars are making a dent in the sales of domestic carmakers here. Why is that Hyundai can’t get a foothold in the island country seven years after setting up shop there? Pundits say the Korean giant’s unsophisticated brand image is partly to blame, as is its marketing strategy.

Hyundai Motor Japan started selling the 2.4 liter Sonata in September 2005. Car Graphic and other specialist magazines gave the model the thumbs up, and Hyundai’s big advertising campaigns in newspapers and on TV until last summer featured Bae Yong-joon, Japan’s favorite Korean actor thanks to his part in the fortuitously named soap “Winter Sonata.” Hyundai Japan’s then-president Toshiro Sugawara had no doubt: "The Sonata is our hidden chip in conquering the Japanese market,” he said. But the model is selling a disastrous 20 cars a month there, compared to 10,000 a month here.



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Autoegr525 - 11/27/2006 3:08:22 PM

+2 Boost

The same reason Japanese who live in America don't buy Hyundai's

MercBasher - 11/27/2006 9:19:42 PM

0 Boost

Is Chavez the best thing possible for Venezuela? - probably not. But then previous Venezuelan Presidents were no heroes either!

However this doesn't have much to do with Autos so why bring up the subject on this website?

2JZSoarer - 11/27/2006 10:31:26 PM

0 Boost

Why the hell would a Japanese person want to buy a Korean Import that offers less reliability and technology,than a Japanese domestic vehicle like Toyota,Honda,Nissan,Mazda,or Suzuki!!!

BMW530i - 11/28/2006 9:20:58 PM

+1 Boost

The Koreans aren't too enthusiastic about buying Japanese cars either. Too many horrible memories from World War II.

kart1 - 11/27/2006 10:45:14 PM

+1 Boost

News Flash

Hyundai to take Toyota cars and put Hyundai signs on them and sell them as Hyundai's. Low cost of research and development can still lead to quality and reliable cars folks.

elviososa - 11/28/2006 12:33:29 AM

+2 Boost

NO...Japanese hates Korean, and Korean hates Japanese. They will never get along with each other.

hrothgar02 - 11/29/2006 5:42:14 PM

+1 Boost

I hope that I can shed some insight to this matter. There is a strong undercurrent of tension between the two countries even though on the surface everything seems amicable.

In Japan, you have "public talk" and "private talk" and the two never mix. Privately, Japan tenaciously holds on to it saumurai / empirialistic past. Historically, the Japanese have attempted to colonize Korea and China through brutual tactics. They treated Koreans and Chinese as second class citizens. This attitude extends to the automobiles. A Japanese person can not drive a Korean made car without loosing honor. Publically, no one will point this out but privately, every Japanese person is collectively thinking the same thing.