Has Hyundai Finally Earned Some R-E-S-P-E-C-T?

Yes, nothing further

as far as im concerned hyundai is a major player at this point in the atuomotive industry and they are more of a heavy player now than they EVER were. Hyundai has my respect they are not only making great looking cars but great performing cars also which is what todays auto buyers are looking for and hyundai is putting it in a cheaper package.....you cant knock that....And as for them copying other cars....ok.....we all know this but when you put it all together it comes out to be a unique piece of machinery. If you people cant understand where hyundai is headed in the next 5 years you betta wake up because NOW there will be heavy comparisons between Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota

oh no the spam bots are back in action with twice the force. Time to update the websites registration security?

Hyundai has commanded respect for quite some time now. Increasing market share. Awards. Declining defects numbers. It just comes as a shock to those whose brand biases are slanted elsewhere.

In my mind, Hundai are noteworthy for delivering solid value at their price points.

I see we have substantial numbers of BMW Lovers/Hyundai Haters here :-)

huu, what say you?

huu = banned

Hyundai Smoke = banned

I honestly cant think of one Hyundai I would buy, so the answer is NO!

they have my respect as business, achieving what no one else has done over the past several years. as an enthusiast, not much there yet, but I imagine they'll pop something out over the next few years to start the process of gaining respect from this small but vocal group

Hyundai has had my respect since it came out with the last generation Sonata. It may not have been a game changed but it was on par with the Honda Accord at the time. Now look at the models they are creating and the track record they are producing. Not only for themselves, but also now for Kia.

The critics should stop being so disingenuous about Hyundai. At the end of the day, it's an easy formula, and one that Toyota originated with the Lexus. That very first generation Lexus LS400? How does that stack up against the Equus? For all its shortcomings, the Equus is a great "first product" that is as relevant to this generation as the first LS400 was back in the 1990s. Then we have the incredible improvements of the Sonata and the smaller models. Has either Honda or Toyota made such a broad jump in improvement over a 5 year period? Honda and Toyota worked ONLY on reliability, and then slowly kept performance/handling/styling on pace with the market but never pushed the envelope of what could be done. Well Hyundai is going for broke in terms of reliability, handling and styling. As car enthusiasts you have to respect that. Finally, it took Toyota 20 years of Lexus before it released its super sports car. How long before Hyundai releases its equivalent of the Nissan GT-R? The specs are there, the technology is understood, it's just a matter of creating the manufacturing. Hmmm... a 2 seater, carbon fiber 500HP machine in 2 years? pretty easy. All for the same price as the GT-R and subsidized by the Korean government, LOVE IT.

I don't respect Hyundai for two reasons and you shouldn't either.
1. Their work is entirely stolen from design to engine to interior to amenities. It is 100% the work of other auto manufacturers who invested the R&D. When you have no R&D, you can spend all your money (see point two) on factories, etc. When you have to choose between R&D and infrastructure, you strike a balance where you may not have the best of the best factories, etc., but you innovate. Hyundai does not innovate, they steal and then use the R&D money to 1up their competition. It is a shady practice. Not illegal, but certainly of questionable ethics and thus not deserving of respect.

2. The Korean government nearly 100% subsidizes Hyundai, so they are not competing on equal footing with private companies across the globe. If you combine this with their 0 innovation strategy and near 0 R&D, you get a reliable car with no soul.

Now, you may argue that you will take reliable over innovative everyday, but if everyone had that crap-eating attitude, we would still be driving model A's and cars with no seat belts, airbags, anti-lock brakes, collision avoidance systems, traction control, HUD's, remote entry, air-conditioning, fuel injectors, and on and on and on. No, I have no respect for a company that steals, no matter how "reliable" their product. Pure crap and I wouldn't take one if it were given to me free and clear.

Given your argument #'s, I would not consider it to be stolen. Wouldn't that mean that Microsoft and Playstation both took their tech from Nintendo, who in turn stole it from Atari? They took ideas already in place and improved upon. Do some designs look similar, in some ways yes. Especially the last generation Sonata compared to say the Honda Accord. But if you want to be like the leader you have to follow them to a point.

At least they are giving offerings that people are interested in. At least that I'm interested in. I can at least get leather with a stick shift on a base model Genesis Coupe. In order for that combination for the Accord Coupe you need to go to the EX-L for over 30k and you lose the ability to still keep the 4 and stick.

"2. The Korean government nearly 100% subsidizes Hyundai, so they are not competing on equal footing with private companies across the globe. If you combine this with their 0 innovation strategy and near 0 R&D, you get a reliable car with no soul."

here here!

+10!

My respect? Heck Yeah.

They are making all of the right moves after a decade of building the brand. The best thing they EVER did was a 10 year warranty. What a better way of finding your own issues and addressing them. Expensive, yes, but look at what it did for them.

They are training a whole generation to buy Korean.

YEP!!! They are going to burn alot of people,just like they did the first go-round.

In terms of driving dynamics I think they have rached parity with Toyota with their FWD models. Further the Hyundai Genesis Coupe has also gotten good reviews. In a sports coupe comparison test in Motortrend a few months ago the Genesis Coupe V6 was rated ahead of the Ford Mustang V6,the Camaro V6 and the Challenger V6 in terms of driving feel and engine sound. When I was in the rental car business 25 yrs ago we rented out Hyundai Accents. They were not in the same league with Toyota but were dirt cheap to buy. I would have to say Hyundai has come a long way. And this issue people have of copying other manufactorers what do you think Toyota and other Japanese manufactoers did. When the lexus LS 400 came out it unashamidly copied Mercedes. Now you find VW in some case copying design elements from the Japanese. Copying others is part of the car culture. Hyundai has done well.

Hyundai deserves more respect than Toyota and Honda, And if Nissan didn't have the GT-R, Nissan would have been included as well.

Not as a luxury or quasi-luxury brand. How can you even call yourself that when you offer ordinary market models like the accent, elantra, and sonata?

Now, in the same breath, I really like the accent, elantra, and sonata, but they are not luxury cars, and hyundai is not a luxury brand.

They have my respect as a true competitor to Toyota and Honda. However, I can't for the life of me, understand the purpose of KIA. Can someone explain that one to me? They have the same cars, but the quality of KIA is lower than Hyundai? Someone please explain this to me. Why would they compete with each other in the same market?

No, and they never will. They make cheap looking and feeling econo boxes, so if that is what you want then great. I don't respect a company that just steals designs from other car companies. With Asian brands Nissan and Honda will dominate.

"They make cheap looking and feeling econo boxes"

- And Toyota, Honda, and Nissan doesn't? Answer please.

No counterpoint? Just de-boosting. LOL!!

Some people here are just plain pathetic.

Two words. Hell yes!

Hyundai is just another seller of average asian econoboxes. If they disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice? No, not really. That kind of sums it up.

"Hyundai is just another seller of average asian econoboxes. If they disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice? No, not really. That kind of sums it up.

— thstone"

Of course you're right. Hyundai has earned the right to be respected.

I see fear in many of your words ladies. They have my respect even though I am not in the market of a Hyundai. They certainly have been noticed and have dished out great looking vehicles that are drawing more attention away from boring Toyota, weird Honda, and uninspiring Nissan. They are slowly taking charge and if you fail to acknowledge that then you will be in for a surprise.

They never said they are the next Lexus but they are taking sales away from the Lexus there is a difference. They could easily start a new brand but that from a business perspective isn't smart right now. If they can make the same amount of profit margin and do the same quality then it's a win win situation.

They have my RESPECT. Deboosting me only shows all of your insecurities. I'm not a Hyundai fan but I admit their cars have made me look twice and I own an S-Class/911 Turbo. Doesn't that show something?