MANILA, Philippines — As Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) celebrates its 50 years of existence this 2017, the Korean manufacturing giant continues to impress the motoring world with its massive growth and technological breakthroughs. As an avenue to showcase its latest 'intelligent roadmap' for its future commercial vehicles, Hyundai Motor held its inaugural 'Hyundai Truck & Bus Mega Fair' last May 25-28 in South Korea.
The Mega Fair was Korea's biggest truck-and-bus-themed outdoor festival, and featured Hyundai Motor's full range of commercial vehicles amid street performances, magic shows, a historical exhibition hall, and a mega food stadium (that offered the convenience of over 30 popular food trucks).
“The Hyundai Truck and Bus Mega Fair presents an ideal opportunity to introduce Hyundai Motor's vision and competitiveness in the commercial vehicle arena,” remarked HMC Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial Vehicle Division, Jaiyoung Yoo. “We're sure that a new era of commercial vehicle enterprise will begin with this showcase event,” he said.
One of the main attractions on display at the Mega Fair was Hyundai's trophy mass transportation vehicle called 'Elec City' – Hyundai Motor's first production-model electric bus. It was of particular interest to many, because it was already on exhibit even before its official launch scheduled for 2018.
The Elec City bus is testament to the seamless integration of Hyundai's fully electric powertrain technology into its modern commercial applications. This bus exploits a 256 kw-h lithium ion polymer battery that can churn out a driving range of up to 290 km's, on a single charge. It also showcases a string of new safety features such as 'Around-View Monitoring', and niceties such as a full-color digital cluster.
“Hyundai Motor has achieved a lot in the eco-friendly vehicle field, but we will never stand still!” exclaimed HMC Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial Vehicle R&D Division, Yeongduck Tak. “We continue to invest heavily to ensure zero-emission technology for all commercial vehicles,” he explained.
The research and development of hybrid, electric powertrain and fuel cell technology is not new to Hyundai Motor Company – they have been on it since 1999 and in fact, have significantly accelerated their R&D on the subject even further, since 2015. If you trace back their steps, you will remember that they had already produced the ground-breaking Blue-City commercial vehicle – the world's first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) hybrid bus – back in 2013. And this time, alongside its production of the Elec City, Hyundai also plans to launch its 3rd-generation hydrogen fuel cell bus in 2018! (If you were to recall, its first-gen fuel cell vehicle was revealed to the public during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany)
Such is Hyundai Motor's roadmap for its future commercial vehicles, as presented at the showcase event – capitalizing on eco-friendly technologies and positioning itself as a leader in modern, intelligent safety features within the commercial vehicle field.
Among the latest intelligent, safety features that the company has equipped their large trucks and buses with, are Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and Smart Cruise Control (SCC). And you can expect that in the years to come, these safety features shall be applied across their entire range of commercial vehicle products. Next in line for application are an array of connectivity features; and some new-age platooning technology that are slated to be tested next year.
In light of all of this, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) – the exclusive distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines – was happy to announce that it will be bringing in almost all of the light trucks for sale in our country. “It's amazing because almost any requirement can be met by these commercial vehicles – whether you need dump trucks, ambulances, fire trucks... you name it! Oh, and have you seen the one with the washing machine?” remarked a very excited Fe Agudo, President and CEO of HARI, to Philippine media at the Mega Fair event grounds.
Furthermore, Agudo expressed that these commercial vehicles (buses) may be part of the next mobility solution to the traffic and congestion of Metro Manila.
Last year, HARI signed the distributorship contract for these commercial vehicles. Since then, they've been setting up the local dealer facilities.
When asked about what HARI sees as its competitive advantage in the commercial vehicle market in the Philippines, Agudo replied: “We have a more complete product mix; we have logistical support for body building; and we have the advanced technology in commercial vehicle engines!”
HARI was named Hyundai Motor Company's Global Distributor of the Year for 2016.