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SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor will mark its 40th anniversary in the United States next year as it confronts a convergence of challenges, including a remaining 15 percent tariff, intensifying competition from Tesla and Chinese electric-vehicle makers, the expiration of subsidies and a rapidly evolving race in software-defined vehicles such as autonomous driving.
Attention is focused on whether Hyundai Motor Group can navigate these pressures under the leadership of Chairman Chung Eui-sun.
Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with exports of the Excel, South Korea’s first front-wheel-drive passenger car, produced at its Ulsan plant. Emphasizing value pricing, the automaker sold about 160,000 vehicles in its first year and more than 260,000 the following year, quickly drawing attention from U.S. consumers.
The early momentum later faded amid criticism over quality issues and an underdeveloped service network.
Hyundai Motor Group Honorary Chair Chung Mong-koo subsequently launched a sweeping “quality management” drive aimed at improving quality, safety and performance for customers worldwide, including in the United States. In 1999, the group sought to directly address quality concerns by introducing a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, a move that helped reshape its brand image.
Since then, Hyundai has garnered major U.S. awards and positive reviews, alongside steady improvements in both quality and sales.
This year, 21 Hyundai Motor Group models earned either Top Safety Pick+ or Top Safety Pick ratings in crash tests released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, giving the group a second consecutive year with the highest number of models recognized among the safest vehicles.
In J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Initial Quality Study, Hyundai Motor Group recorded the best overall performance among 17 global automotive groups, according to the company. The study is widely referenced by U.S. consumers and is a key benchmark for evaluating vehicle quality.
Hyundai Motor Group also said it has been named World Car of the Year for four consecutive years.
Automotive News, which is marking its 100th anniversary this year, selected three generations of Hyundai leadership — founder Chung Ju-yung, Honorary Chair Chung Mong-koo and Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun — as figures that have had a major impact on the development of the global auto industry.
Chung Eui-sun said his grandfather’s customer-centered management philosophy and his father’s emphasis on quality, safety and research and development are deeply embedded in the group’s management principles.
Hyundai sold about 896,000 vehicles in the United States from January through November, putting it on track for a third consecutive annual sales record, the company said.
Despite auto tariffs imposed during the Trump administration, Hyundai said it limited price increases and instead responded by expanding local production and adjusting its sales mix. In March, the group held a completion ceremony for Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, or HMGMA, in Georgia, as it moved to establish a U.S. production system with capacity for up to 1.2 million vehicles.
Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest $21 billion in the United States through 2028 across automobiles, parts and logistics, steel and future industries.
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