Hyundai's Next Focus: Three-Row Crossovers, Not Trucks
Hyundai North America CEO John Krafcik reaffirmed, in an interview with Fox News, that the Korean automaker doesn’t intend to join the truck market but will look instead into the six and seven passenger crossover segment.
With vehicles in over a dozen automotive segments, Hyundai is seeing success in both the pre- and post-family stages, but is struggling in the family life stage, where their Veracruz sits. In 2009, the Entourage minivan was discontinued which left the Santa Fe as their only three-row vehicle. In 2011, the Veracruz sold a disappointing 9,146 units which utterly fails to compete with the 130,235 Kia Sorentos sold last year, it’s obvious that Hyundai has their work cut out for them in that particular market.
“We’re not a big truck player. I like to say brands define themselves as much by what they choose not to do as what they chose to do. We could be a truck player if we wanted to, we choose to focus on more fuel efficient segments of the market,” Krafcik said.
So it appears that Hyundai will probably be working more on crossovers and possibly SUVs but for now, we won’t see trucks bearing their badge anytime soon.
[Source: Fox News]
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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