HYUNDAI GENESIS RECOGNIZED AS NEAR LUXURY CAR SEGMENT LEADER IN STRATEGIC VISION’S 2009 TOTAL VALUE INDEX

Hyundai’s flagship Genesis sedan was named the “Near Luxury Car” segment leader in Strategic Vision’s 2009 Total Value Index™ (TVI). The luxurious, rear-wheel drive Genesis sedan topped its category in the TVI. The TVI looks at all aspects of perceived value; from quality, to economics to customer appeal.

Presented annually since 1995, the TVI was calculated from 48,228 buyers who purchased 2009 models from September 2008 to March 2009. The calculation of Total Value begins with owner statements about expected reliability, expected fuel economy, price paid, expected resale value and innovation. Total Value then incorporates the importance of each ownership experience variable, and calculates the True Value. True Value is the worth of the attributes weighed against the costs.

“The Genesis brought luxury buyers to Hyundai who have household incomes very close to BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class buyers,” said Alexander Edwards, president, Strategic Vision. “We see many Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac and BMW owners trading in their vehicles for the Genesis. Hyundai competes in this segment by meeting a customer’s security needs with perceived quality and successful programs such as ‘Hyundai Assurance’ combined with a price, warranty and value customers can love.”

Hyundai’s Genesis sedan sets a new benchmark in the premium car category. With a starting price of just $33,000, Genesis includes performance and luxury features typically found on vehicles costing thousands of dollars more. In addition to great features, Hyundai's generous 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, numerous standard features, good reliability and affordable price helped Genesis receive the highest score in its category. Other notable features include a quiet and luxurious cabin, V-6 and V-8 engines that are more powerful and efficient than many in competing models, and a smooth, responsive six-speed automatic transmission.

“Receiving the highest score in the Near Luxury Car segment in Strategic Vision’s TVI is an important honor as it reflects the opinions of Hyundai Genesis owners,” said Derek Joyce, manager, product planning, Hyundai Motor America. “Genesis sedan has both technology and content comparable to the world’s leading premium sports sedans and this ranking demonstrates that Genesis consistently exceeds expectations for consumers in this segment.”

STRATEGIC VISION

Strategic Vision is a research-based consultancy with thirty-five years of experience in understanding the consumers’ and constituents’ decision-making systems for a variety of clients, including most automotive manufacturers, American Airlines and Procter & Gamble. Its unique expertise is in identifying consumers’ comprehensive motivational hierarchies, including the product attributes, personal benefits, value/emotions and images that drive perceptions and behaviors. J. Susan Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision, coined the phrase “True Innovators.” and we measure this construct in the detailed Total Value Index report. The ValueCentered® psychology and research methods were defined by Dr. Darrel Edwards in 1968, and enhanced by co-founders J. Susan Johnson (1972) and Sharon Shedroff (1975).

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 790 dealerships nationwide.

Source: Hyundai Motor America