When Hyundai passenger cars first went on sale in Australia in the mid-1980s, the company’s initial advertising campaign focused on educating people on how to pronounce the company name.
Of course the Hyundai is now well established, with cars, light commercials and construction equipment all available locally. Trucks are the latest string to the company’s bow.
By the time you read this article, it is likely the first Hyundai truck will have been sold, with the company expecting to follow that up with plenty more in the years to come.
While there is no doubting price will be a big determinant for many of the initial orders, Hyundai believes it is quality and after-sales support that will keep customers coming back for more.
With just three trucks in the range initially — the HD45, HD65 and HD75 — covering the competitive up-to-7,500kg segments, Hyundai is showing outstanding patience, taking the time to establish the brand among light-duty buyers before progressively branching out into the medium and then heavy-duty markets.
Anthony Hulme, Hyundai Trucks Sales And Marketing Manager, says the company began assembling trucks in 1968, less than 12 months after Hyundai Motor Company was launched, building up completely knocked down (CKD) kits.
Continued demand for Hyundai trucks prompted the construction of the Jeonju truck and bus manufacturing facility, which opened in 1995 and is now the world’s largest commercial vehicle factory.
Within three years, Hyundai began exporting trucks from Jeonju to the US. Distributed by Bering Trucks, the trucks took on the established players in the competitive American Class 4 (6.3 tonnes to 7.2 tonnes) and Class 6 (8.8 tonnes to 11.8 tonnes) markets.
By 2000, Hyundai was making its own ‘Powertec’ heavy-duty engines, followed in 2006 by the introduction of the Trago heavy truck. In 2008 Hyundai passed the next major milestone, with the introduction of the Euro 4-compliant F-, G- and H-Series engines, which now power the right-hand drive models, including the Australia-spec trucks.
Following its most recent expansion, Hulme says the Jeonju plant now has a capacity of 107,600 trucks per annum, as well as 17,400 buses and 152,000 engines from the automated engine plant.
Tough competition
Before setting its sights on the Australian market, Hyundai sharpened up against the Japanese manufacturers and achieved the remarkable result of outselling local-leader Isuzu in four out of five markets.
With Japanese trucks accounting for more than 80 percent of truck sales in the light-duty market in Australia in 2009, Hulme says Hyundai will use a three-pronged strategy of ‘value’, ‘product’ and ‘network’ to achieve a goal of becoming the top-selling heavy commercial vehicle in Australia by 2020.
“Hyundai has looked closely at every aspect of the Australian truck market and formulated a specification and line-up designed to meet a wide range of operational needs and requirements,” he says.
“The full backing and support of Hyundai Motor Corporation means this new range of light-duty trucks will have the resources and back up to make a real impact on the Australian market.”
With an initial dealer line-up of seven, Hulme says this will be expanded in the second phase of the plan to take in major regional centres, as more models are added to the range.
“Hyundai’s third phase of network development will see around 30 dealers nationwide by 2013.”
While he describes the trucks as ‘well appointed’, Hulme says Hyundai will also use an aggressive pricing policy — the base HD45 will have a manufacturer’s list price of $49,990.
“Our aim was very much to position the HD range as a value-for-money truck with high standard equipment levels but priced below the market-leading Japanese brands.”
Just as importantly, Hyundai is offering buyers a three-year/200,000km warranty, including roadside assistance, based on an average weekly usage of more than 1,000km.
“This is a class-leading warranty which our opposition will struggle to match not just in terms of the fact that it covers twice the kilometres but also because we offer 24-hour truck roadside assistance,” he says.
Two of a kind
With the trucks entering a crowded and tough market, Hyundai worked very hard to develop the specifications, while still being able to offer what the company felt was a clear price advantage over the opposition.
Hulme says the first choice was offering two cab sizes: the ‘standard’ day cab as offered by its competitors; and a ‘space cab’, that is 300mm longer and uses the extra for storage behind the seats.
There are also four chassis lengths — from 5,300mm up to 6,630mm long. The longest is of a size never offered in the light-duty category before.
All three trucks use the 3.9-litre four-cylinder engine that has different ratings depending on the truck. The HD45 gets 103kW/372Nm (138kW/274ft-lb), while the heavier trucks are uprated to 110kw/578Nm (148hp/426ft-lb).
In a somewhat unusual measure, Hyundai has opted to introduce the trucks with Euro 4 emission compliance, however Hulme says all trucks sold from January 1, 2011, will comply with Euro 5.
The engine configuration is a compacted graphite-iron block with four valves per cylinder and a single overhead camshaft. The engines also have common-rail injection, meaning plenty of low-down power — such was certainly the case with the trucks tested during the launch program.
Keeping the emissions under control is a combination of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and a particulate matter catalyst to trap any remaining soot that is not burnt off by the engine.
The HD45 and HD65 models receive a five-speed triple synchromesh manual transmission, while the HD75, also using triple synchro gears for smoother shifts and greater reliability, gains an extra gear to cope with loads of up to 7,500kg, or a combination weight of 11,000kg. Both transmissions have a PTO outlet to the left side of the transmission casing.
Wide offering
As well as the option of a space cab for an extra $900, Hyundai is tempting buyers with a semi-floating cab, riding on oil-cushioned runner mounts, while the driver gets a coil-suspension seat with a reclining backrest.
Based on initial impressions, the cab layout is well thought out, with easy access to major switches and controls, with easy-to-grasp buttons and knobs, so operators are not distracted by poor switchgear.
As well as a steering wheel that adjusts for tilt and reach, drivers enjoy plenty of cab storage space including convenient door pockets, a capacious glove box, useful space under the audio and a driver’s cup holder.
Externally, the HD range has wrap-around bumpers featuring recessed fog lights, integrated drivers step and rear cab protection. The windscreen and optimised seating position ensures maximum field of view with better forward lines of sight.
Other niceties include keyless entry and a 12-volt charger for mobile phones and other accessories that runs in tandem with the main 24-volt electrical system.
The HD series offers extraordinary active safety and security, with full four-channel WABCO ABS with integrated electronic brake force distribution (EBD). Hyundai has gone with large brake linings and tandem brake boosters to give consistently dependable and powerful braking.
EBD senses brake lock-up in adverse or slippery conditions and adjusts and controls the braking pressure to all wheels while increasing brake pressure automatically in emergency situations.
There is also a battery saver that shuts the truck’s power off when it drops below a certain voltage. This prevents operators from being stranded when they accidentally leave lights or accessories on.
While the bulk of trucks imported into Australia will be in cab-chassis form, Hulme says Hyundai is also offering a choice of two ‘ready-built’ models, either a hydraulic tipper or a flatbed trayback, so operators can start work the moment they drive the truck off the lot.
Hulme says the two fully-built models will carry a full factory warranty on the body as well as the truck, to give extra peace of mind to purchasers.
Drive on
While the look and feel of a truck may convince some to buy, it is the after-sales service that will convince them to purchase another 10 in the future.
Ian Franklin, Hyundai Trucks National Service Manager, know this. He says the service and technical support is the most important part of the ongoing ownership experience, and he is establishing a service network that is able to support the three-year warranty.
Franklin says there will be a parts inventory of 700 line items in stock at launch, valued at nearly $1 million, to keep the trucks running, including a number of major parts assemblies to allow for rapid response to customer needs.
Keeping the trucks mobile as much as possible is also the goal of the 20,000km service intervals. For the predicted ‘average owner’, this means just three services per year, allowing them to maximise work time.
While there are all plenty of unanswered questions whenever a new brand comes to market, and Hyundai is no exception, one point in its favour is the fervour the passenger car division has shown in rising from a bit player to the sixth most popular brand in the nation. It has done this through the same mix of product, value and support that is being touted as the cornerstone of the truck division.