Hyundai Sonata Review and Specs

If you live in North America, you likely are now awfully acquainted with the Hyundai line of cars. Back in 1986, the 1st Hyundai was introduced to the market - an Excel - and the corporation's line up has changed seriously since that time. Hyundai produces much more than cars; in fact, by the end of the last century Hyundai became one of the biggest firms in the world. Let's take a look at this Korean based corporation concern and the company behind Hyundai vehicles.

It was back in 1946, only 1 year removed from Imperial Japan's occupation of the Korean promontory, a new company was birthed in what's now known as South Korea. Hyundai Motor Industrial Company was set up by Chung Ju-yung, a child of northern Korean peasant farmers, and in 1947 Ju-yung launched a 2nd company, Hyundai Civil Industries. Self educated, Ju-yung transformed the entire Korean economy with the tight control he exerted over his Hyundai companies.

The first Hyundai business was tasked with building automobiles while the 2nd Hyundai company concentrated on construction. Indeed, much of modern South Korea's infrastructure was built by Hyundai in the period after the termination of the Korean War in 1953 and on through the 1970s. Dams, an expressway, a shipbuilding yard, and a nuclear power plant were all built by Hyundai Civil Industries, while Hyundai Motors produced vehicles made basically from Japanese components. Hyundai's influence stretched way beyond the Korean cape as the company won contracts to build an expressway in Thailand and a major port in Saudi Arabia. Obviously , Hyundai ruled the Korean market and quickly became a big player on the international scene.

By the 1970s Hyundai started to build vessels as well as shipyards and by 1986 Hyundai produced its first automobile made entirely from Korean elements. From the 1980s forward Hyundai added further specialties including the building of semiconductors and magnetic levitation trains.

All hasn't been glossy for the company, however. Decades of work issues culminating in new employee safety standards instituted from the 1990s on, tempered the Hyundai mystique. Indeed, up to that time the company was cited for having the worst safety standards of any enterprise in the industrialized world.

Cars were another source of issues for what became known as the Hyundai Group. Although now manufacturing their own vehicles, the standard of Hyundai cars for the 1st decade was considered by car gurus to be sub-par. Today, Hyundai autos and Hyundai parts are, for the most part, a little better than average in quality compared to the industry as a whole.

With Chung Ju-yung's death in 2001, Hyundai was divided up into 3 separate companies: Hyundai Heavy Industries, the Hyundai Motor Group, and Hyundai Engineering and Construction. Today, all 3 Hyundai corporations continue to challenge successfully in the worldwide marketplace thanks to the fantasy of a peasant farmer.

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