The Marmot’s Hole

3 Comments

1. Darin
   Posted November 28, 2006 at 9:11 am | Permalink

   There’s a major reason the article left out, has anyone ever seen a Hyundai dealer in Japan? Let’s say a Yon-Sama fan wants a Sonata, she’ll have a heck of a time finding one if she can’t find a dealer.

   I personally saw one Hyundai dealer in Japan, and it was in Okinawa. The only time I ever saw a Hyundai on the road was also in Okinawa, but they were all rental cars.

2. Two Cents
   Posted November 28, 2006 at 1:24 pm | Permalink

   Darin,
   Hyundai has 50 dealers in Japan. That’s approximately one per prefecture. I don’t think it’s the nubmer of dealers that’s a problem. Mercedes has only 76, but you see tons of them on the road in Japan. Hyundai will have one heck of a time trying to sell their cars here in Japan, because the Japanese mainly buy foreign cars for their brand image, the extra prestige, and the sophisticated style that domestic brands just can’t offer. That’s why Lexus is fighting an uphill battle in Japan. If mileage or quality at affordable prices is what you are looking for, you basically stick with Japanese cars. Maybe Korean cars can catch up on the mileage or quality factor, but it just doesn’t have that extra appeal that European cars do.

   Besides, I know of only one celebrity who was able to make a perceivable difference in car sales - Takuya Kimura with RAV4.

3. SomeguyinKorea
   Posted November 28, 2006 at 2:33 pm | Permalink

   This is what caught my eye:

   “The 2.4 liter Sonata is priced between 2.09 and 2.68 million yen (W16.7 -21.4 million) tax included, cheaper than in Korea, where it costs W24.7-27.1 million.”

   We are getting ripped off. No doubt about it.