Hyundai has really come a long way. It wasn't easy for them to packed some of their belongings and decided to settle one half of its business in the US, considering the fact Americans perceived them as a foreign car company. But did not bow out and was shocked when it set an industry record for the most first-year sales for an import car company, sold 168,882 subcompact Excels; Hyundai's first car in the US.It took the company just seven months to sell its 100,000 Excels in the United States.
19 years(2005) after it first debut in the US car market, Hyundai opened its manufacturing plant in the state of Alabama, and has successfully built 2,660,314 vehicles. Of the over 2 million vehicles it produced in the US, the Elantra and Sonata, made up 23 percent and 64 percent respectively.
President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America Dave Zuchowski says 56 percent of vehicles the Korean carmarker sells in the United States are made there.The Elantra and Sonata are Hyundai's best-selling cars in the US.There are now 2.5 million Sonatas on US roads and 24.98 percent of the company's total volume.
Zuchowski also says that Hyundai plant in Alabama employs more than 3,000 residents and contributes approximately $4 billion to the state's economy every year.
Hyundai hit the milestone by focusing more on quality, styling as well as competitive pricing.