Hyundai's aggressive marketing strategy appears to be giving it traction amid the turmoil in the US car market.
While total industry sales last month sank 37 per cent from a year earlier to the lowest level since December 1981, the South Korean carmaker posted a 14 per cent gain. Its market share grew from 2.7 per cent in December to 3.7 per cent, according to Autodata.
Among other manufacturers, only Subaru and Kia – a Hyundai affiliate – posted increases, though much smaller ones.
John Krafcik, acting chief executive of Hyundai Motor America, said in an interview that the solid performance reflected a strategy “to be big, go big and to be seen in big places”.
Hyundai has made several splashes. It attracted attention last month with an offer, known as Hyundai Assurance, that allows buyers to return their cars without penalty or loss of creditworthiness if they lose their job or declare personal bankruptcy within a year of purchase.
At last month's Detroit auto show, motoring writers voted the Genesis, Hyundai's first luxury sedan, North American car of the year.
Hyundai models have for the first time reached the top-10 rankings of Consumer Reports, the consumer publication. “We've had a remarkable run of third-party validation,” Mr Krafcik says.
While Detroit's ailing carmakers pulled out of advertising during last Sunday's Super Bowl, Hyundai aired several spots, including one that showed Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz executives apoplectic over the Genesis award.
Hyundai will be the only automotive advertiser during the Oscars this month.
, a car research site, reported that Hyundai's share of shoppers rose 7 per cent last month. Preliminary data show a further bump since the Super Bowl.
Brent Buhl, general manager of a Hyundai dealership in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, said: “We're doing a lot of advertising, more than in the past.” He also gave the carmaker credit for stepping up discounts and other incentives.
The value of Hyundai incentives has risen threefold over the past year to an average of $2,611 per vehicle in January, according to .
Much of the incentive spending has focused on the Sonata family car – sales of which almost doubled last month – and the Santa Fe sport-utility vehicle, both built in Alabama.
Mr Krafcik declined to comment on Hyundai America's profitability.
The parent company warned last month that 2009 would be tough but expressed confidence that Hyundai would fare better than many rivals because of its focus on smaller vehicles and the weakness of the Korean won.
参考译文：
在动荡的美国汽车市场上，韩国现代汽车(Hyundai)似乎正凭借大胆的营销战略获得动力。
上个月，整个汽车行业销量较去年同期下滑37%，至1981年12月以来最低水平，但现代汽车却实现了14%的销量增幅。根据Autodata的数据，现代的市场份额从去年12月的2.7%升至3.7%。
在其它汽车制造商中，只有斯巴鲁(Subaru)和现代旗下的起亚(Kia)公布销量实现增长，但增幅小得多。
现代汽车美国分公司(Hyundai Motor America)代理首席执行官约翰?克拉富西克(John Krafcik)在一次采访中表示，稳健的表现反映了现代“做大、做强并在重要地方出现”的战略。
现代曾引起多次轰动。上个月，该公司推出“现代汽车担保计划”(Hyundai Assurance)，吸引了人们的目光。该计划的内容是，如果购车者在购买现代汽车一年内失业或宣布个人破产，可以退回汽车，无需缴付罚金，也不会损及信誉。
在上个月底特律汽车展上，汽车业记者投票评选现代首款豪华轿车劳恩斯(Genesis)为北美年度最佳汽车。
现代车型首次跻身《消费者报告》(Consumer Reports)十佳汽车排名。克拉富西克表示：“我们得到了非常好的第三方认可。”
境况不佳的底特律汽车制造商放弃了在上周日美国职业橄榄球总决赛超级碗(Super Bowl)赛事期间投放广告，但现代却投放了几则广告，其中一则广告描绘了雷克萨斯(Lexus)、宝马(BMW)和梅塞德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)高管对劳恩斯获奖无比气愤的样子。
现代将成为本月奥斯卡(Oscar)颁奖典礼上唯一的汽车广告商。
汽车搜索网站的数据显示，上个月，现代的搜索比例上升7%。初步数据显示，自超级碗赛事以来，这一数字继续上升。
北卡罗莱纳州伊丽莎白城(Elizabeth City)的一家现代汽车经销商的总经理布伦特?布尔(Brent Buhl)表示：“我们投放了大量广告，规模超过以往。”他还称赞了现代汽车加大折扣力度及其它促销举措。
的数据显示，过去一年，现代汽车优惠总额增加3倍。今年1月，达到平均每辆车2611美元。
其中很大一部分促销支出用于索纳塔(Sonata)系列车型以及胜达(Santa Fe)多功能运动型汽车。这两种车型都是在阿拉巴马州生产的。上个月，索纳塔的销量几乎翻了一番。
克拉富西克拒绝就现代汽车美国分公司的盈利能力置评。
上个月，现代汽车警告称，2009年形势严峻，但由于现代专注于较小型汽车，再加上韩元疲软，现代的表现将超过许多竞争对手。现代对此怀有信心。
