Can You Buy The Hyundai I30 Crdi In Thailand?

[rethaired]

Apparently, it has great mileage specs!

... about 4.7 L/100 km. (Review)

Thanks!

[Farma]

The only passenger cars on offer on the Thai Hyundai site are the Sonata and Coupe and they’re way over priced.

Just curious, why would you want to buy a Hyundai in Thailand with their limited dealerships, build quality and high prices when there are better value cars available?

I have owned Hyundai’s before but had to pick myself up off the floor when I discovered the price of a Santa Fe when I thought about buying one earlier this year.

[tigerbeer]

Perhaps a look at Kia Picanto, Naza Fonza or Proton Savvy as other options??? They are great fuel savers?

[rethaired]

Yes, you are right Farma. Hyundais are way overpriced here. Funny that here in the West, they are underpriced!

I will look into the Kias. Bonus if they can be gas savers/saviours!

Thanks!

Edited July 3, 2008 by rethaired

[maamoot]

The only passenger cars on offer on the Thai Hyundai site are the Sonata and Coupe and they’re way over priced.

Just curious, why would you want to buy a Hyundai in Thailand with their limited dealerships, build quality and high prices when there are better value cars available?

I have owned Hyundai’s before but had to pick myself up off the floor when I discovered the price of a Santa Fe when I thought about buying one earlier this year.

The Sonata Exe 2.4 is better equipped , less money than the Accord or Camry and comes with a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty .

J.D. POWER SURVEY: Hyundai Ranks As #1 Non-Premium Brand

Passes Toyota; finishes 3rd overall.

USA Today Article (PDF)

OVERALL RATINGS Nameplate Problems per 100 vehicles Nameplate Problems per 100 vehicles

Porsche 91 Dodge 132

Lexus 93 Pontiac 133

Hyundai 102 Volvo 133

Toyota 106 Buick 134

Jaguar 109 Mitsubishi 135

Honda 110 Kia 136

Cadillac 117 Mercedes-Benz 139

Infiniti 117 Scion 140

GMC 119 BMW 142

Acura 120 Subaru 146

Chrysler 120 Mazda 150

Lincoln 121 Mini 150

Nissan 121 Jeep 153

Chevrolet 124 Saab 163

Industry average 124 Suzuki 169

Ford 127 Hummer 171

Mercury 129 Volkswagen 171

Saturn 129 Isuzu 191

Audi 130 Land Rover 204

http://www.jdpower.com

BY SARAH A. WEBSTER

Detroit Free Press

June 8, 2006

Maybe Hyundai Motor Co. drivers don't need that 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty after all.

The South Korean automaker known for its value pricing -- all its vehicles sell for less than $29,000 -- delivered a jaw-dropping performance in J.D. Power and Associates' annual survey on new-vehicle quality, which was released Wednesday.

Hyundai was the No. 1 non-premium brand in the United States, edging past Toyota, the Japanese brand whose rock-solid quality reputation has been shaking Detroit's dominance in the nation's auto market for years.

Overall, Hyundai was No. 3 in this year's report, behind No. 1 Porsche and No. 2 Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand, and right ahead of Toyota. Last year, Hyundai was No. 11, so the leap made Hyundai the third-most improved nameplate this year.

"We're very proud and very excited," said Don Dees, vice president of service for Hyundai Motor America, the subsidiary of Hyundai that sells and distributes new cars and trucks in the United States. "Our objective is to move up and become No. 1 in everything we do."

Even Toyota Motor Corp., whose products topped 11 of the 19 categories, acknowledged the growing pressure from Hyundai. New Hyundai drivers reported 102 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with the 106 problems reported by new Toyota brand owners.

"There's no question that Hyundai is coming on strong and doing a tremendous job," Jim Lentz, Toyota group vice president and general manager, said in a conference call with journalists. "They are going to become a bigger and bigger player in the marketplace."

Quality is always a top concern for new car and truck buyers. So the top-notch quality performance likely will give a boost to Hyundai sales, which are already up 4.5% this year, and help the automaker achieve its growth targets.

Hyundai -- which has a North American headquarters in Fountain Valley, Calif., a new $1.1-billion plant in Alabama and an engineering and technology center in Superior Township -- is aiming for 500,000 U.S. sales this year and 1 million annual sales by 2010.

The company will certainly have a lot of selling points from this year's J.D. Power report:

Five of the seven 2006 models that Hyundai sold ranked in the top three for their category.

The Hyundai Tucson was the No. 1 compact multi-activity vehicle. Three Hyundai cars took second-place spots: the Elantra compact car, the Tiburon sporty car and the Azera large car.

Hyundai's most popular vehicle, the Sonata, ranked third in the highly competitive midsize car segment.

Only the company's Santa Fe SUV, which is being redesigned for the 2007 model year, and the Accent subcompact car did not make the top three slots in their respective categories.

What's more, two of the top-performing vehicles, the Sonata and Azera, were brand new in 2006, making the performance more spectacular. Automakers usually take a quality hit the year they launch a product because it usually takes time to work out all the new-vehicle glitches.

"That is probably the thing I'm most proud of, because that bucks the normal industry trend," said Dees, whose career has included stints with Toyota and Chrysler. "We're launching great, great products."

Hyundai's assembly plant in Alabama, which builds the Sonata and Santa Fe, finished 10th in plant quality out of 73 plants in North and South America. That made the plant among the best plant introductions in the last decade. The facility has capacity to build 300,000 vehicles a year.

Dees said there's no secret to Hyundai's performance.

"The success of that is planning, preparation and great training," he said. "You had a brand new plant, a brand new product ... a brand new workforce, and to come out of the gates ranked 10th out of 73 plants is outstanding.

USA Today

JPG Snapshot | PDF

Hyundai lands in top 3 for quality

By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY

DETROIT Porsche and Hyundai leapfrogged to the top of the influential J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, potentially boosting sales at both automakers as consumers continue to focus on quality as a leading factor in buying decisions.

Porsche, known for its sometimes temperamental sports cars, ranked first among brands in the survey, which is based on buyer reaction after 90 days of ownership. Porsche, which ranked 32nd last year, beat out Toyota's luxury brand, Lexus, which held the top spot for several years. Lexus came in just behind Porsche.

"Statistically, it's a dead heat," said Jim Lentz, Toyota group vice president and general manager. "It's important to use this as an indicator to help our efforts to improve. But, quite frankly, if we were No. 1, it wouldn't change things in our effort to get better."

Joe Ivers, executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research for Power, said Porsche's launch of the Cayman sports car was nearly flawless and helped enhance its quality rating. The automaker also made great strides improving its Cayenne SUV, which accounts for a third of its sales.

For Hyundai, the jump from No. 11 to No. 3 could be the boost the company has been looking for. Hyundai says that currently only about 20% of potential buyers say they'll consider a Hyundai. The automaker has said it was focusing on improving quality to get on more buyers' shopping lists.

Hyundai's 10-year, 100,000-mile warranties also are aimed at allaying customers' quality concerns.

"Our goal is to improve and improve and improve," said Don Dees, Hyundai's vice president of service and quality. "We would like to be No. 1, absolutely."

Redesigned survey

The survey, which polled 63,000 new car owners, was redesigned since last year. The new survey is more comprehensive going from 135 questions to 237 and allows customers to detail their problems rather than simply rating the issues on a scale. The results are reported in problems per 100 cars.

Although the Toyota brand fell behind Hyundai in overall ratings, Toyota and Lexus continued to dominate rankings of models.

Automakers pay attention to the survey results, often using their scores in advertising. Toyota and Honda, which have consistently scored higher than average, have been slowly gaining market share in the USA, while the domestic automakers have seen sales slip.

Among the survey results:

" Eleven Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles led their segments, including four of five SUV categories.

" The Toyota Camry, the best-selling car in the USA, was named the best midsize car.

" General Motors led two segments, with Pontiac Grand Prix named best large car and Chevrolet Silverado named best pickup. The second- and third-best pickups also are made by GM.

" The Toyota Prius hybrid, which won its segment last year, did not place among the top three in the compact-car segment. Toyota said it is working on improving the way it explains high-tech features to new customers, which hopefully will improve customer satisfaction with cars such as the Prius.

" Ford's Land Rover came in last place, with 204 problems reported for every 100 vehicles. It also received the worst design rating.

" GM's Oshawa, Ontario, assembly plant, which manufactures the Buick LaCrosse and Pontiac Grand Prix, won the top award for North American plants.

The plant is scheduled to close in the next few years.

Associated Press

Toyota Dominates 2006 Quality Rankings

By SARAH KARUSH

Associated Press Writer

DETROIT (AP) -- Toyota Motor Corp. held onto its dominant position in annual vehicle quality rankings, which were revamped to highlight design and layout problems that can irritate consumers as much as defects.

Toyota and Lexus, the automaker's luxury brand, took the top spot in 11 out of 19 vehicle categories in the survey released Wednesday by J.D. Power and Associates. Porsche AG came in first in the overall ranking of brands, averaging 91 problems per 100 vehicles. That compared with an industry average of 124 problems per 100 vehicles.

The study, in its 20th year, was revised to isolate consumers' concerns about design flaws, as distinct from defects and malfunctions. The change in methodology makes year-to-year comparisons impossible.

However, a parallel survey conducted using the old methodology found that as a whole, the industry improved 8 percent from 2005, said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research at J.D. Power.

Lexus came in second in the overall nameplate rankings, with 93 problems per 100 vehicles, while the Toyota brand was fourth with 106. The two brands scored particularly well on the defect side of the equation.

"They're the closest thing to defect-free," Ivers said Toyota and Lexus.

On the other hand, Porsche's top ranking had a lot to do with good design: It had the least number of design problems of any brand, but was behind Lexus when it came to defects and malfunctions.

The design issues that tended to irk people most were those having to do with ergonomics and the integration of technology into a vehicle, Ivers said.

A prime example was BMW AG's BMW brand, which had an average of 142 problems per 100 vehicles. It ranked among the best for defects and malfunctions, but took a beating from survey respondents in the design area. In particular, Ivers cited BMW's iDrive system, through which many different controls are operated by a single knob.

Bob Lutz, vice chairman for global product development of General Motors Corp., criticized "systems where you gather everything under one control and then you are asked to scroll through menu after menu trying to do things.

"We are used to having certain vehicle controls in certain places," Lutz said Wednesday at an auto interiors show in Detroit prior to the release of the J.D. Power results.

BMW spokesman Dave Buchko defended iDrive, saying customers expect cutting-edge technology from the brand.

"New stuff is new," he said. "It takes a bit of time to gain some familiarity with it."

But Ivers argued it is possible to integrate new technology in a way that doesn't make a vehicle less user-friendly. "Porsche has all the functions but none of the complaints," he said.

Even Toyota and Lexus could improve when it comes to technology and ease of use. Jim Lentz, group vice president for Toyota's U.S. sales division, said some complaints focused on use of the handsfree system for cell phones and even the clocks in vehicles.

In vehicle segments, Toyota had five winners, including the Corolla for compact car, the Camry for midsize car, and the Sequoia for large sport utility vehicle. Lexus had six top vehicles, including the IS 250 and IS 350 for entry premium car, the SC 430 for premium sporty car and LX 470 for large premium SUV.

Of the Big Three domestic automakers, General Motors made the strongest showing. Its vehicles won in two segments: large pickup (Chevrolet Silverado LD) and large car (Pontiac Grand Prix).

DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group had a hit with the Chrysler Town & Country, which was the top-ranked van. Ford Motor Co. also won a segment with the Ford Ranger for midsize pickup.

Hyundai Motor Co. scored a sleeper hit with consumers, with the Hyundai brand coming in No. 3 with an average 102 problems. The Hyundai Tucson took the top spot for compact SUV or crossover.

J.D. Power, based in Westlake Village, Calif., collected responses from 63,607 purchasers and lessees of new 2006 model-year vehicles after 90 days of ownership for the study. This year's survey included 217 questions, up from 135 in previous years.

Los Angeles Times

Porsche Shifts Into First in Vehicle Quality Survey

Toyota and Hyundai score high overall and in individual classes. Top U.S. brand is Cadillac.

By Cynthia H. Cho, Times Staff Writer

June 8, 2006

Porsche of Germany powered into the passing lane, for the first time landing the top spot in a widely watched auto quality report issued Wednesday.

The maker of expensive sports cars and luxury sport utility vehicles rose in the annual J.D. Power & Associates rankings, analysts said, after addressing customer complaints and adding a highly rated compact model.

The survey was notable as well for what didn't change, as Toyota Motor Corp. of Japan and the rising Hyundai Motor Co. of South Korea again scored high marks for overall dependability and in individual vehicle categories.

Models from Toyota's mainstream brand and Lexus luxury line topped 11 of 19 categories, including compact car (Corolla), mid-size car (Camry) and six classes of premium cars and trucks.

In its report, Power found that Porsche was the top-scoring brand for model year 2006, with 91 problems per 100 vehicles. The automaker was followed by Lexus (93), Hyundai (102) and Toyota (106). The industry average was 124.

Among U.S. brands, General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac ranked highest, tied at No. 7. Vehicles from GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group were rated best in four categories: large car (GM's Pontiac Grand Prix), large pickup (GM's Chevrolet Silverado LD), mid-size pickup (Ford's Ranger) and van (Chrysler's Town & Country).

The Power survey a source of bragging rights for automakers and a buying guide for many shoppers measures complaints in the first 90 days of ownership. The results were drawn from nearly 64,000 respondents who bought or leased 2006 model year vehicles.

The initial quality survey was modified for its 20th year. For the first time, it measured quality of design, evaluating controls and other interior features, in addition to quality of production, which measures defects and malfunctions. Because of the methodology changes, industry analysts and insiders cautioned against making direct year-to-year comparisons. Nonetheless, they singled out notable trends.

Jamey Power, executive vice president of Westlake Village-based J.D. Power & Associates, said the study was updated to "reflect the changing attitude of consumers" and to account for the "new technology and features that are coming out in today's vehicles."

That might explain why German rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW ranked 25th and 27th, respectively, in the overall nameplate ranking, which takes into account all models produced under the brand name. Mercedes-Benz, a unit of DaimlerChrylser, had 139 problems per 100 vehicles and BMW had 142.

"A lot of the European brands seek to differentiate themselves by pushing the envelope of technological sophistication," Power said. "This can be a challenge when you're pushing the envelope so much that the customers can't keep pace."

BMW had among the fewest defects and malfunctions, but it had more design-related problems, the survey found.

But the overall ranking isn't what drivers consider most important, Power said. Buyers want model-specific information. So for someone shopping for a compact car, for example, what matters is that the top models in that segment are the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai's Elantra and Honda Motor Co.'s Civic.

David Healy, an auto industry analyst with Burnham Securities, said he wasn't surprised to see Toyota and Lexus ranked high. But he was surprised to see Hyundai at the No. 3 spot.

"They've done one hel_l of a job," he said of Hyundai, which has overcome early customer resistance because of concerns over reliability. "They have been steadily improving over the last several years."

Power agreed: "Hyundai has been passionately trying to improve their quality. They figured that if they were going to survive in the U.S. market, they had to focus on the American consumer's needs and requirements. What we are seeing is a payoff for that commitment."

Toyota acknowledged its fast-charging rival.

"They are going to be a bigger and bigger player in the marketplace," Jim Lentz, Toyota group vice president and general manager, said of Hyundai.

Automakers use the data in the study to address consumer-identified problems, Power said. And that explains why Porsche won the top spot this year.

Its Cayenne SUV, Power said, had a lot of problems when it came out in 2003, but Porsche has steadily taken care of them. Also, Porsche's Cayman, which went on sale in January, was ranked highest in the compact premium sporty car category.

"We consider it very encouraging news," Porsche spokesman Tony Fouladpour said of the brand's first No. 1 nameplate ranking. "For us, it's verification of what we have known for a while: that our cars do have a certain design and performance quality unlike any other car."

But it won't stay in that spot forever if Don Dees gets his way.

"Our goal is to be No. 1," said Dees, vice president of service and quality for Hyundai. This is the third year in a row that the company has been in the top 10. "Obviously we are very proud."

[Farma]

All’s well and good with those surveys maamoot but place a Hyundai next to say a Nissan or Toyota in 5 years time and you will see a big difference.

The Hyundai will have paint degradation and body panels will have more car park type body damage.

Then look at the resale value.

[sgtpeppers]

In Australia the i30 crdi came out a very close second in its catagory (Civic on top), in an car award.

The engine is world class. Its value will increase as the price of oil shoots through the roof

[Gary A]

They undoubtedly have improved a lot over the years. In 1989 my girlfriend bought a new Hyundai in Florida. It was broke down so much that she was in danger of losing her job because she had to bum rides to work and was often late. The dealer refused to give her a loaner. She finally went to the bank, gave the keys to the bank manager and told him that she wasn't going to pay for a car that was always in the shop. The bank put HUGE pressure on the dealer and the dealer finally gave her money back.