Hyundai Motor Company announced its re-entry into the Japanese passenger car market after abandon it in2009. In this new attempt, eco-friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles will take the lead, as well as online sales and mobility services are planned.
Today, Hyundai Motor held a meeting with Japanese media at Mitsui Hall in Tokyo, Japan and officially announced its re-entry into the local market.
During the event, Hyundai Motor Company announced that it would change the name of its Japanese subsidiary from ‘Hyundai Motors Japan’ to ‘Hyundai Mobility Japan’. The company explained, “This reflects Hyundai Motor’s goal of becoming a ‘smart mobility solution provider’ in Japan.”
First models to be available into the Japanese market will be the all-electric IONIQ 5 and hydrogen fuel cell SUV “NEXO”. Full-scale delivery is expected to begin in July. “We have not set a specific sales target,” said Shigeaki Kato, CEO of Hyundai Mobility in Japan, at the Tokyo launch event.
As mentioned by CEO Shigeaki, Hyundai is also promoting online sales of new cars in Japan. The key is to be able to handle the entire purchase process online, from car model selection to quotation, test drive, order, payment, and delivery. At the same time, Hyundai plans to build a Hyundai Customer Experience Center in Yokohama as a base to promote its brand image and new cars.
In addition to selling new cars, it is also promoting various mobility service businesses based on automobiles. A typical example is car sharing. Hyundai Motor plans to introduce a car-sharing service using the IONIQ 5 and NEXO in collaboration with the local car-sharing platform ‘Anika’ in Japan.
Jae-Hoon Jang, president of Hyundai Motor Company, said in a video message, “We regret that we virtually withdrew from the Japanese market in 2009. Currently, there are about 600 Hyundai cars in operation in Japan, which is a negligible level. We will do our best to provide differentiated services focusing on eco-friendly vehicles.”
