Hyundai’s Santa Fe debuts in Manila

While there is no doubt that the new Honda Civic will be the most sought after new car model in the next few months, it is also clear that there is one comparatively low-key carmaker that is making the kind of waves it never has before with a slew of competent but not as high profile models. A couple of weeks back, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc., (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai cars in the country, reported that it had sold 1,335 units for the first quarter of the year — a 111% increase from the 632 units it sold during the same period last year. This was confirmed to The STAR by no less than Maria Fe Perez-Agudo, HARI Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, during an intimate business lunch meeting.

Perez-Agudo, who is one of the more elusive personalities in the entire local car industry, gladly shared with The STAR her insights on what has made the erstwhile unreliable brand now the epitome of positive growth. "I think our approach of addressing first the service concerns of all Hyundai owners, before delving straight into selling new models, has done wonders to gain us more acceptance in the eyes of the buying public," she says. In other words, doing the right thing is beginning to pay off. Perez-Agudo and her team at HARI have had the unenviable task of rebuilding the Hyundai brand’s erstwhile damaged image. It will be recalled that the initial influx of Hyundai Starex vans — while staggeringly high — was not accompanied by a solid after-sales support system. Low quality and unreliability, therefore, became almost synonymous with the Korean carmaker’s own name.

That, of course, is not the case anymore. Not only has Hyundai expanded its dealer network and service capability substantially, it has also gained the kind of faith from the Hyundai home base to make it top-of-mind for new car launches. Case in point: the recently released and aptly named Hyundai Santa Fe ("Fe" is Perez-Agudo’s nickname). Unveiled to the public during the recently-concluded 2nd Manila International Auto Show, the vehicle designed for the ultra-competitive American automobile market, was made available to the Philippine market ahead of the United States. "The Philippines is a very special market for Hyundai. That’s why we were able to have the Santa Fe ahead of North America," reasons Perez-Agudo. Special, indeed. This year, HARI won the prestigious Best Distributorship Award for Asia Pacific from Hyundai Motor Company after it exceeded its previous sales record by 103 percent.

Back to the car. The Santa Fe is a real-time four-wheel-drive that runs on a 2.7-liter V6 engine. It is equipped with state-of-the-art safety features such as Electronic Stability Control, Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brake-force Distribution, and airbags. And, being a unibody SUV, it has a more refined, sedan-like feel, which is so unlike other SUVs in the Philippine market today — many of which feel like trucks underneath. The Santa Fe is Hyundai’s first SUV with optional seven-passenger seating. Since studies show that 40% of all SUV customers want a third-row seat, this option significantly broadens the Santa Fe’s appeal. The third-row seat is split 50/50 and can be folded flat like the 60/40-split second-row seat. In such an instance, the total cargo volume of the Santa Fe becomes a cavernous 79.4 cubic feet.

The Santa Fe has MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension systems, with the all-new front suspension using an increased caster angle to improve stability. All four wheels are controlled by coil springs and fade-resistant gas-charged dampers, while front and rear stabilizer bars help keep the vehicle flat during cornering. Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering also contributes to the Santa Fe’s solid handling dynamics.

Best of all, the Hyundai Santa Fe — just like the rest of its Hyundai brethren — is now backed by a solid after-sales system made possible by a continuously growing network of dealers. "Our first quarter sales reflect that our customers believe in our products. Our 22 full dealerships — going 32 by the end of the year — make us the fastest growing dealer network in the country. HARI, together with Hyundai Motor Company, remains committed to providing our customers with innovative, world-class and value-for-money vehicles and high quality service. Our growing customer-base here and around the world inspire us not to be sidetracked by any obstacle and to keep our focus towards achieving our goals," ends Perez-Agudo.