一
度在中国市场处于下风的现代汽车公司(Hyundai Motor Co.)，正在利用设计来实现一次华丽转身。今年，这家韩国公司在中国的销量很有可能会超过它在本土市场的表现。
Bloomberg News
本周一，现代汽车在华发布了新车“瑞纳”(Verna)。
本周一，现代在北京奥林匹克公园举办了一场盛大的歌舞表演，正式启动新款紧凑型轿车“瑞纳”(Verna)的销售。瑞纳最低售价73,900元（合11,000美元），是现代第三款面向中国市场设计的车型，现代公司说，设计照顾到了中国消费者的特殊需求和偏好，比如内部空间要更宽敞简洁，外表要更鲜亮。
由于中国市场日益重要，现代把中国选为瑞纳的首发地。韩国市场的销售将在今年晚些时候开始，美国市场有销售计划，但现代拒绝透露时间。
现代的转变再次印证了中国对全球汽车产业的巨大影响力。去年中国市场的汽车销量几乎比2008年高出50%，取代美国成了世界第一大汽车市场，而且中国也正在成为部分全球汽车巨头最大的销售市场。通用汽车公司(General Motors Co.)今年头七个月在中国市场的销量超过美国，只不过中国的数据包括了一家合资公司所售的商务车，而通用只在其中持股34%。通用和其他外资汽车生产商也已经着手增强它们在中国的设计能力。
相比丰田(Toyota)、大众(Volkswagen)和别克(Buick)等更加成熟的外资品牌，过去现代汽车在中国市场被认为只是一家低成本、实力平平的厂商。但现代正在重塑它在中国的品牌形象，通过提升质量、改进设计，使之变得更加时尚，同时价格也比较合理。
现代在华合资公司北京现代总经理卢载万(Noh Jae-man)接受采访时说，这个转型是一个“非常艰难的过程”。虽然现代所产汽车的做工正在提升，但本世纪头几年该公司开始在中国生产和销售汽车时，落得了一种质量不好的名声，这是现代汽车仍然需要克服的。
卢载万说，当初，人们还需要跟邻居解释自己为什么开现代车；和质量的提升一样，对设计的关注无疑也带来了很大的好处。现代公司说，为吸引比较犹豫的买家，它在中国提供五年-10万英里的动力总成保修，比业内一般水平更加慷慨，但比不上它在美国的10年-10万英里。
现代拒绝透露它用于在华品牌转型的投入有多少，但该公司在首尔的一位发言人说，提升品牌形象的行动是非常全面的，我们的投入肯定比以前多。
现代汽车去年在华销量猛增近一倍，达到57万辆，并远远超过去年年初公司的预测销量36万辆。现代预计今年的销量将达到67万辆，增长约18%。相比之下，分析师对中国市场乘用车总销量的增速预测为15%。
现代从1986年就开始在美国市场销售，但销量到现在还没有达到50万辆大关。在韩国市场，现代拥有的市场份额约为50%，年销量在58万到70万辆之间。今年前七个月，现代在中国销售汽车376,554辆，而韩国、美国的销量分别为370,295辆和309,888辆。
现代高管说，为适应需求量，他们计划尽快于明年初在中国建立第三工厂，厂址设在北京，所有产品面向中国市场。韩国现代在中国上市销售始于2002年，当时与北京汽车工业控股有限责任公司合资。现代公司北京的两个工厂今年计划生产近70万辆车。卢载万说，现代希望第三工厂能在2012年中期投入运营，届时年产能力将增加30万辆。
现代的设计策略赢得了诸如王天勇(音)等中国消费者的芳心，他今年35岁，是北京的一个软件销售经理。王天勇两个月前买了平生第一辆车──一辆银色的现代伊兰特悦动新车。丰田汽车公司(Toyota Motor Corp., TM,7203.TO)和福特汽车公司(Ford Motor Co.(F))的同款车型他都不予考虑。这辆伊兰特花了王天勇8.6万元人民币，他说，车子看起来很气派，外观设计很现代，内部空间也很大很时尚，开起来非常舒适。
现代一贯注重开发小排量节能汽车，适逢当前经济疲软，油价高涨，消费者更加节俭，这是它全球走俏的卖点。现代称，公司在中国销售的汽车，有77%是发动机排量为1.6升或更低，而丰田同样排量的汽车只占其中国销售的25-30%。
世界经济下滑期间，现代是为数不多的销量与市场份额增加的汽车生产商之一。事实证明公司的策略在中国尤其有效，因为中国政府出台激励措施，鼓励小排量汽车销售。
卢载万相信，瑞纳的“流动性”和“感性”设计会逐渐成为卖点，帮助现代保持在中国今年的销售势头，虽然下半年的销量有所放缓。
瑞纳秉承了现代惯有的一些设计风格，包括被誉为“个性线条”的车门上的明显折皱，现代利用这些特点对自己紧凑的形象进行了改动，从而增加了在美国的销量。
劳斯莱斯(Rolls-Royce)前高级设计师兼帕莎蒂娜艺术中心设计学院(Art Center College of Design in Pasadena)讲师Marek Djordjevic说，现代与其子公司起亚汽车(Kia Motors)在吸引消费者方面做得非常成功，消费者欣赏在坚定的价值主张中揉进动感时尚的设计元素。他说，在这方面他们做得非常棒，人们不需再为自己的购车选择找理由。
卢载万还对一些传统销售策略进行推陈出新。一般来说，如果厂商对一款车进行重新设计，那么旧款就会停售，只卖新款。但是跟其它一些竞争对手一样，现代继续在中国生产并销售旧款车。瑞纳就是雅坤特（Accent）的替代版，但是后者计划继续在中国市场销售。这是因为中国市场的多元化，一些省份和地区的消费者只能承受价格较低的车子，而北京、上海等富裕地区的人们则希望购买最新款。
卢载万说，这种并行销售模式可能会对提升现代品牌形象造成阻碍，但是我们进入中国市场较晚，所以现在的目标就是提高品牌知名度。
Nirihiko Shirouzu / Evan Ramstad
由于中国市场日益重要，现代把中国选为瑞纳的首发地。韩国市场的销售将在今年晚些时候开始，美国市场有销售计划，但现代拒绝透露时间。
现代的转变再次印证了中国对全球汽车产业的巨大影响力。去年中国市场的汽车销量几乎比2008年高出50%，取代美国成了世界第一大汽车市场，而且中国也正在成为部分全球汽车巨头最大的销售市场。通用汽车公司(General Motors Co.)今年头七个月在中国市场的销量超过美国，只不过中国的数据包括了一家合资公司所售的商务车，而通用只在其中持股34%。通用和其他外资汽车生产商也已经着手增强它们在中国的设计能力。
相比丰田(Toyota)、大众(Volkswagen)和别克(Buick)等更加成熟的外资品牌，过去现代汽车在中国市场被认为只是一家低成本、实力平平的厂商。但现代正在重塑它在中国的品牌形象，通过提升质量、改进设计，使之变得更加时尚，同时价格也比较合理。
现代在华合资公司北京现代总经理卢载万(Noh Jae-man)接受采访时说，这个转型是一个“非常艰难的过程”。虽然现代所产汽车的做工正在提升，但本世纪头几年该公司开始在中国生产和销售汽车时，落得了一种质量不好的名声，这是现代汽车仍然需要克服的。
卢载万说，当初，人们还需要跟邻居解释自己为什么开现代车；和质量的提升一样，对设计的关注无疑也带来了很大的好处。现代公司说，为吸引比较犹豫的买家，它在中国提供五年-10万英里的动力总成保修，比业内一般水平更加慷慨，但比不上它在美国的10年-10万英里。
现代拒绝透露它用于在华品牌转型的投入有多少，但该公司在首尔的一位发言人说，提升品牌形象的行动是非常全面的，我们的投入肯定比以前多。
现代汽车去年在华销量猛增近一倍，达到57万辆，并远远超过去年年初公司的预测销量36万辆。现代预计今年的销量将达到67万辆，增长约18%。相比之下，分析师对中国市场乘用车总销量的增速预测为15%。
现代从1986年就开始在美国市场销售，但销量到现在还没有达到50万辆大关。在韩国市场，现代拥有的市场份额约为50%，年销量在58万到70万辆之间。今年前七个月，现代在中国销售汽车376,554辆，而韩国、美国的销量分别为370,295辆和309,888辆。
现代高管说，为适应需求量，他们计划尽快于明年初在中国建立第三工厂，厂址设在北京，所有产品面向中国市场。韩国现代在中国上市销售始于2002年，当时与北京汽车工业控股有限责任公司合资。现代公司北京的两个工厂今年计划生产近70万辆车。卢载万说，现代希望第三工厂能在2012年中期投入运营，届时年产能力将增加30万辆。
现代的设计策略赢得了诸如王天勇(音)等中国消费者的芳心，他今年35岁，是北京的一个软件销售经理。王天勇两个月前买了平生第一辆车──一辆银色的现代伊兰特悦动新车。丰田汽车公司(Toyota Motor Corp., TM,7203.TO)和福特汽车公司(Ford Motor Co.(F))的同款车型他都不予考虑。这辆伊兰特花了王天勇8.6万元人民币，他说，车子看起来很气派，外观设计很现代，内部空间也很大很时尚，开起来非常舒适。
现代一贯注重开发小排量节能汽车，适逢当前经济疲软，油价高涨，消费者更加节俭，这是它全球走俏的卖点。现代称，公司在中国销售的汽车，有77%是发动机排量为1.6升或更低，而丰田同样排量的汽车只占其中国销售的25-30%。
世界经济下滑期间，现代是为数不多的销量与市场份额增加的汽车生产商之一。事实证明公司的策略在中国尤其有效，因为中国政府出台激励措施，鼓励小排量汽车销售。
卢载万相信，瑞纳的“流动性”和“感性”设计会逐渐成为卖点，帮助现代保持在中国今年的销售势头，虽然下半年的销量有所放缓。
瑞纳秉承了现代惯有的一些设计风格，包括被誉为“个性线条”的车门上的明显折皱，现代利用这些特点对自己紧凑的形象进行了改动，从而增加了在美国的销量。
劳斯莱斯(Rolls-Royce)前高级设计师兼帕莎蒂娜艺术中心设计学院(Art Center College of Design in Pasadena)讲师Marek Djordjevic说，现代与其子公司起亚汽车(Kia Motors)在吸引消费者方面做得非常成功，消费者欣赏在坚定的价值主张中揉进动感时尚的设计元素。他说，在这方面他们做得非常棒，人们不需再为自己的购车选择找理由。
卢载万还对一些传统销售策略进行推陈出新。一般来说，如果厂商对一款车进行重新设计，那么旧款就会停售，只卖新款。但是跟其它一些竞争对手一样，现代继续在中国生产并销售旧款车。瑞纳就是雅坤特（Accent）的替代版，但是后者计划继续在中国市场销售。这是因为中国市场的多元化，一些省份和地区的消费者只能承受价格较低的车子，而北京、上海等富裕地区的人们则希望购买最新款。
卢载万说，这种并行销售模式可能会对提升现代品牌形象造成阻碍，但是我们进入中国市场较晚，所以现在的目标就是提高品牌知名度。
Nirihiko Shirouzu / Evan Ramstad
Hyundai Motor Co. (HYMLY), once a laggard in China, is using design to reach a turning point: The South Korean company's sales in China this year likely will surpass those in the auto maker's home market.
Hyundai on Monday kicked off sales of its new Verna subcompact sedan with a flashy song-and-dance show in Beijing's Olympic Park. The car - priced as low as CNY73,900 yuan ($11,000) - is Hyundai's third model with a China-focused design that Hyundai says caters to specific needs and preferences of Chinese consumers, such as roomier interiors and snappier, more chrome-laden exteriors.
The Chinese market has become so critical that Hyundai picked China as the venue to roll out the car. Sales in South Korea will begin later this year. Hyundai plans to sell the Verna in the U.S. but declines to say when.
Hyundai's shift is another reflection of China's huge impact on the global auto industry. China's car sales rose nearly 50% last year from 2008, displacing the U.S. as the largest auto market, and the country now is becoming the biggest source of sales for some of the world's biggest auto makers. General Motors Co.'s China sales through July of this year surpassed its U.S. sales, although the China figures include sales of commercial microvans by a joint venture of which GM owns only 34%. GM and other foreign auto makers have also begun beefing up their design capabilities in China.
Once viewed as a low-cost, also-ran in China to more-established foreign brands like Toyota, Volkswagen and Buick, Hyundai is making over of its brand here into a more fashionable, yet affordable, alternative through improved quality and sleeker styling.
The transition has been 'a very difficult process,' Noh Jae-man, president of Hyundai Motor China, says in an interview. While the fit and finish of its cars is improving, Hyundai still has to overcome a reputation for shoddy quality it earned when the company first began producing and selling cars in China in the early 2000s.
'People had to explain to their neighbors why they are driving Hyundais. A focus on styling has definitely helped,' as has improved quality, he says. Hyundai says its five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty is a bit more generous than the industry average in China to draw reluctant buyers but not as liberal as the 10-year/100,000-mile offered in the U.S.
Hyundai declines to say how much it is spending on its China campaign, but a spokeswoman in Seoul says the company's 'effort to upgrade our brand image is very broad. . .we are definitely investing more than before.'
Hyundai's sales in China took off last year, nearly doubling to 570,000 units and far exceeding the 360,000 the company forecast at the year's start. Hyundai expects sales this year to jump around 18% to 670,000 units, compared with analysts' forecasts for a 15% increase in China's overall passenger-vehicle sales.
Hyundai still hasn't hit the 500,000-unit mark in the U.S., where it has been selling cars since 1986. In South Korea, where Hyundai has roughly a 50% market share, the company's sales range between about 580,000 and 700,000 units a year. Hyundai sold 376,554 cars in China this year through July, compared with 370,295 in South Korea and 309,888 in the U.S.
Hyundai executives say they plan to start construction of a third factory in China, in Beijing, as soon as early next year to keep up with demand, with all output destined for China. The company, which started selling cars in China in 2002 in a venture with government-owned Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co., is set to produce nearly 700,000 cars this year at its two factories, which also in Beijing. Noh says Hyundai hopes to get the third factory running by the middle of 2012, which would boost capacity by another 300,000 cars a year.
Hyundai's design strategy is winning over Chinese consumers like Wang Tianyong, a 35-year-old software sales manager in Beijing. Wang bought his first car two months ago: a new silver Hyundai Elantra Yuedong. He passed over similar cars from Toyota Motor Corp. (TM, 7203.TO) and Ford Motor Co. (F). The Elantra, for which Wang paid CNY86,000, 'looked very stylish, with its modern, exterior design,' he says. 'The interior is very spacious and trendy, and it is also comfortable to drive.'
Hyundai's typical focus on small, fuel-efficient cars has helped its sales around the world, where the shaky economy and high gasoline prices have made consumers more frugal. The company says 77% of the cars it sells in China have engines of 1.6 liters or smaller, while Toyota puts 25% to 30% in that category.
Hyundai was one of the few manufacturers to increase sales and gain market share during the global economic downturn. The company's approach proved especially effective in China, where the government issued incentives to encourage sales of smaller cars.
And Hyundai's Noh believes the 'fluid' and 'emotional' design of cars like the Verna will give it a leg up over time - and help Hyundai sustain its momentum in China this year even if sales slow in the second half.
The Verna contains some of the same design characteristics, including pronounced creasing on the doors known as 'character lines,' that Hyundai has drawn on to transform its stodgy image and boost sales in the U.S.
Hyundai and its smaller Kia Motors unit 'are successful in their appeal to customers who appreciate a solid value proposition, balanced with enough emotional design content,' says Marek Djordjevic, a former Rolls-Royce senior designer and an instructor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. 'They have done that job so well that people no longer need to make any excuses for their choices.'
Noh also has been retooling some traditional sales approaches. Usually when an auto maker redesigns a model, the old version is discontinued and sells the updated one exclusively. But Hyundai, like some rivals, keeps building and selling older versions in China. The Verna is a replacement for the Accent, but Hyundai plans to keep selling the Accent in China. That's because of China's diversity, with customers in some provinces and regions only able to buy less-expensive cars, while those in wealthier areas like Beijing and Shanghai want the latest models.
'This type of parallel sales. . .could be a barrier to raising our brand image,' says Noh. 'But as a latecomer to the Chinese market, our objective right now is to raise our brand awareness.'
Nirihiko Shirouzu / Evan Ramstad
Hyundai on Monday kicked off sales of its new Verna subcompact sedan with a flashy song-and-dance show in Beijing's Olympic Park. The car - priced as low as CNY73,900 yuan ($11,000) - is Hyundai's third model with a China-focused design that Hyundai says caters to specific needs and preferences of Chinese consumers, such as roomier interiors and snappier, more chrome-laden exteriors.
The Chinese market has become so critical that Hyundai picked China as the venue to roll out the car. Sales in South Korea will begin later this year. Hyundai plans to sell the Verna in the U.S. but declines to say when.
Hyundai's shift is another reflection of China's huge impact on the global auto industry. China's car sales rose nearly 50% last year from 2008, displacing the U.S. as the largest auto market, and the country now is becoming the biggest source of sales for some of the world's biggest auto makers. General Motors Co.'s China sales through July of this year surpassed its U.S. sales, although the China figures include sales of commercial microvans by a joint venture of which GM owns only 34%. GM and other foreign auto makers have also begun beefing up their design capabilities in China.
Once viewed as a low-cost, also-ran in China to more-established foreign brands like Toyota, Volkswagen and Buick, Hyundai is making over of its brand here into a more fashionable, yet affordable, alternative through improved quality and sleeker styling.
The transition has been 'a very difficult process,' Noh Jae-man, president of Hyundai Motor China, says in an interview. While the fit and finish of its cars is improving, Hyundai still has to overcome a reputation for shoddy quality it earned when the company first began producing and selling cars in China in the early 2000s.
'People had to explain to their neighbors why they are driving Hyundais. A focus on styling has definitely helped,' as has improved quality, he says. Hyundai says its five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty is a bit more generous than the industry average in China to draw reluctant buyers but not as liberal as the 10-year/100,000-mile offered in the U.S.
Hyundai declines to say how much it is spending on its China campaign, but a spokeswoman in Seoul says the company's 'effort to upgrade our brand image is very broad. . .we are definitely investing more than before.'
Hyundai's sales in China took off last year, nearly doubling to 570,000 units and far exceeding the 360,000 the company forecast at the year's start. Hyundai expects sales this year to jump around 18% to 670,000 units, compared with analysts' forecasts for a 15% increase in China's overall passenger-vehicle sales.
Hyundai still hasn't hit the 500,000-unit mark in the U.S., where it has been selling cars since 1986. In South Korea, where Hyundai has roughly a 50% market share, the company's sales range between about 580,000 and 700,000 units a year. Hyundai sold 376,554 cars in China this year through July, compared with 370,295 in South Korea and 309,888 in the U.S.
Hyundai executives say they plan to start construction of a third factory in China, in Beijing, as soon as early next year to keep up with demand, with all output destined for China. The company, which started selling cars in China in 2002 in a venture with government-owned Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co., is set to produce nearly 700,000 cars this year at its two factories, which also in Beijing. Noh says Hyundai hopes to get the third factory running by the middle of 2012, which would boost capacity by another 300,000 cars a year.
Hyundai's design strategy is winning over Chinese consumers like Wang Tianyong, a 35-year-old software sales manager in Beijing. Wang bought his first car two months ago: a new silver Hyundai Elantra Yuedong. He passed over similar cars from Toyota Motor Corp. (TM, 7203.TO) and Ford Motor Co. (F). The Elantra, for which Wang paid CNY86,000, 'looked very stylish, with its modern, exterior design,' he says. 'The interior is very spacious and trendy, and it is also comfortable to drive.'
Hyundai's typical focus on small, fuel-efficient cars has helped its sales around the world, where the shaky economy and high gasoline prices have made consumers more frugal. The company says 77% of the cars it sells in China have engines of 1.6 liters or smaller, while Toyota puts 25% to 30% in that category.
Hyundai was one of the few manufacturers to increase sales and gain market share during the global economic downturn. The company's approach proved especially effective in China, where the government issued incentives to encourage sales of smaller cars.
And Hyundai's Noh believes the 'fluid' and 'emotional' design of cars like the Verna will give it a leg up over time - and help Hyundai sustain its momentum in China this year even if sales slow in the second half.
The Verna contains some of the same design characteristics, including pronounced creasing on the doors known as 'character lines,' that Hyundai has drawn on to transform its stodgy image and boost sales in the U.S.
Hyundai and its smaller Kia Motors unit 'are successful in their appeal to customers who appreciate a solid value proposition, balanced with enough emotional design content,' says Marek Djordjevic, a former Rolls-Royce senior designer and an instructor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. 'They have done that job so well that people no longer need to make any excuses for their choices.'
Noh also has been retooling some traditional sales approaches. Usually when an auto maker redesigns a model, the old version is discontinued and sells the updated one exclusively. But Hyundai, like some rivals, keeps building and selling older versions in China. The Verna is a replacement for the Accent, but Hyundai plans to keep selling the Accent in China. That's because of China's diversity, with customers in some provinces and regions only able to buy less-expensive cars, while those in wealthier areas like Beijing and Shanghai want the latest models.
'This type of parallel sales. . .could be a barrier to raising our brand image,' says Noh. 'But as a latecomer to the Chinese market, our objective right now is to raise our brand awareness.'
Nirihiko Shirouzu / Evan Ramstad
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