The Hyundai brand has been around for decades. Many families and individuals in America and elsewhere own a Hyundai vehicle. They have several models that are usually reasonably priced and have positive reviews online. 

You can stop by your area Hyundai dealership, Tomball residents, if you would like to purchase one of the new models. The new year is coming, and there will be closeout deals on 2024 models to make way for the 2025 ones that are coming in now.

Before you do that, it might be helpful to learn a little more about the Hyundai brand. Here are some facts about it that you might not have known.

Consumers Once Thought These Were Poorly Made Cars

There was a time when people thought that Hyundai was an inferior car brand. Individuals born after 1990 or so might not be aware of that, but when the brand was first introduced to American audiences, the reception was less than enthusiastic.

At the time, the collective perception of the brand was that they were cheaply made and generally inferior in several crucial ways. The main complaints were that the interior materials wore out fast, the cars started to rust very quickly, there were various electrical faults, and there were frequent engine problems.

That negative press can be hard to shake, but Hyundai made a concerted effort to rebrand itself. In the 1990s the company redesigned many of their base models with an eye on improving their reputation.

The rebrand was largely successful. Current Hyundai sales are much better than they were thirty years ago. However, some older Americans may still shy away from the brand because of memories of the initial rollout, long ago as that was.

The Logo

The Hyundai logo might simply look like the letter H to most people. However, that is not all you can see if you look at it closely.

It is made to look like two people shaking hands. This slightly redesigned version might have something to do with the earlier poor reputation the brand had that we just spoke about.

The recommitment to quality is something the team had in mind when they redesigned not just the logo, but the cars themselves. The logo also leans slightly to the right, suggesting motion.

It’s subtle, but that’s not accidental. One might theorize that the company wants to keep moving forward, and that’s the reason why they made the H look like it’s accelerating.

The Innovators of the Fuel Cell Vehicle

All car companies want to innovate, but only a few have actually done so. Hyundai can count itself on that list, though.

They came up with and implemented the first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle. They invented the Tucson Fuel Cell which is a staple of many modern cars.

They also came out with the first compact SUV that relied on fuel cell technology. This was a signal to the marketplace that the company had a new creative team and engineers who were determined to win back consumer appreciation.

They Donate to Charity Every Year

Many companies make a show of donating to charity, but Hyundai does it seemingly to be generous and not to score any points with customers. They give every year to pediatric cancer research.

In fact, they have their own charity, called Hope on Wheels. It’s a tax write-off, but any company that gives back should be commended, and that is certainly the case here. If you’re interested, you can give to the charity as well.

Where They Manufacture

The company decided at one point that they were going to expand their US presence. It made more sense, they reasoned, to have a manufacturing plant on American soil rather than creating the components and assembling the vehicles overseas.

They set up a plant in Montgomery, Alabama, that is still operational today. They also have additional manufacturing and engineering facilities in and around the Detroit area. This makes them a part of the longstanding tradition of making Detroit an automotive powerhouse. 

The Basic Warranty

You can often get different warranties for cars if you get them brand new. That can be one of the key selling points in some instances. Many consumers who would not be willing to purchase a new car otherwise become convinced by generous warranty packages.

Hyundai committed to giving customers a better warranty as part of their plan to regain consumer confidence many years ago. They reasoned that if more individuals looking to buy cars saw their warranty plan was more generous than others, that might be part of what convinced them to buy.

At the moment, you can be assured of a 5-year, 60,000 mile basic warranty. That’s a bit better than industry standard for most cars, but you can also get one for 10 years and 100,000 miles. That is a deal more conducive to inspiring confidence, though you often have to pay a little more to get the longer warranty.

The Name and Origin

Most people don’t know much about the Hyundai name and the company’s origin. The name means “modernity” in Korean.

Modernity simply means that something has the condition of being modern or of the moment. That’s a nice message for a car company to send. Who wouldn’t want a vehicle that is literally described as modern?

There’s another fact about the company that most people don’t know, which is that it didn’t start out as a car company at all. Hyundai began as a construction business instead.

They can trace their roots back to 1967, but at that time, they were involved only in the creation of construction vehicles, gear, and materials. It wasn’t till the 1980s that they came out with their first mass-produced cars, though the reception was tepid, as we mentioned earlier.

Now that you know more about this company and its beginnings, maybe you will be more inclined to buy one of their cars. They consistently get positive feedback from both consumers and critics these days.