Hyundai’s 2011 Sonata “stunned” veteran analysts from Strategic Vision, tallying the highest Total Value score in the 14-year history of the study, topping all competitors — past and present — including those in luxury segments. The powerful results begged for an all-new award to be created, thus Sonata took home the first-ever “Special Total Value Award” recognizing its truly superior value.
Hyundai’s luxurious Genesis sedan and new Tucson crossover earned top honors in the near-luxury and small SUV categories respectively, bolstering Hyundai’s trophy case even further in the 2010 Strategic Vision Total Value Index (TVI). The Total Value Index is the industry’s most comprehensive value study including survey responses from more than 100,000 buyers who purchased new vehicles from September 2009 to June 2010. Total Value then incorporates the importance of the variables that make up the ownership experience, and assess all of those variables against cost of the vehicle.
“When the data came back on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, it was so impressive it prompted us to re-examine the data several times to be certain,” said Strategic Vision President Alexander Edwards. “The findings were solid with particular superiority with owners ranking Value for Money, Technical Innovation, Standard Equipment, Fuel Economy and great Warranty all wrapped in a vehicle with eye-catching styling.”
The 2011 Sonata received several industry accolades, including Hyundai’s first-ever recognition on Car and Driver’s “10Best” list and Automobile Magazine’s “All Star” honor. Hyundai Sonata represents a modern approach to the traditional midsize sedan segment by using only advanced four-cylinder engines, emotional design and luxury features offered with Hyundai’s strong value proposition. The Sonata launched with a new Theta II 2.4-liter gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine and in-house six-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle offers class-leading fuel economy of 22 mpg city/35 mpg highway and 198 horsepower standard. Both hybrid and turbo powertrains round out the Sonata lineup, offering a trio of high value options for consumers.
“Consumer response to the all-new 2011 Sonata shows the strong appeal of Hyundai’s recipe of bold design, great quality, a segment-best 35 miles per gallon, and outstanding residual values,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president, Corporate and Strategic Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “This first-ever ’Special Total Value Award,’ recognizing the highest score on this survey that Strategic Vision has ever recorded, honors the hard work of our California design team, our global engineering team and the 2,700 team members at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama for their innovation and dedication to high quality that enabled Sonata to break the mold in an otherwise bland mid-size sedan category.”
The new-for-2010 Tucson strikes a stark contrast from its predecessor and improves in every functional area, from its roomier cabin with extra cargo space to its leap in fuel economy and technology. Tucson features the company’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language and is the first Hyundai CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) to be designed and engineered in Europe at Hyundai’s Frankfurt-based design and technical centers.
Hyundai’s Genesis sedan set a new benchmark in the premium car category at launch by winning the prestigious North American Car of the Year award in 2009. With a starting price of just $33,000, Genesis includes performance and luxury features typically found on vehicles costing thousands of dollars more. Genesis takes home the Total Value award in the near luxury segment for the second consecutive year, proving that even three years into its model cycle, Hyundai’s first premium sedan still offers tremendous value to buyers.
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