Hyundai

South Korea’s auto giant started in 1967 – 21 years after Hyundai was first founded as an industrial player – growing into the Hyundai Motor Group that incorporates multiple subsidiaries and manufacturing bases around the world. It also owns sister Korean brand Kia. Hyundai’s local history had an inauspicious start in 1986. Under independent distributorship, the original, super-cheap Excel proved to be popular but problematic. The third-generation version of the model would go some way to repairing Hyundai’s reputation in the late ’90s, backed by aggressive marketing and groundbreaking driveaway (“no more to pay”) pricing. The official Hyundai Motor Company Australia subsidiary was formed in 2003 and the brand has grown to be one of the most popular locally. Hyundai vehicles are predominantly sold in high-volume segments, though the brand has also moved upmarket both domestically and in the US with the Genesis and Equus luxury sedans. The second-generation Genesis was built in right-hand drive and introduced to the Australian market in 2014.