Hyundai’s Global Brand Value Rises

Hyundai Brand Value Ranked As Eighth Most Valuble In Auto Industry

Seoul, Korea, 07/27/2007 Hyundai Motor Company’s brand power continues to rise as it was ranked 72nd in the 2007 Best Global Brands survey jointly conducted by Interbrand, a leading consultancy in branding and BusinessWeek, the New York-based global business media organization.

With a brand value estimated at $4.5 billion, the power of the Hyundai brand now surpasses several competitors when measured on a global basis. Among the world’s top automotive brands, Hyundai ranked eighth, ahead of Porsche, Lexus and Nissan.

The rise of the Hyundai brand on the global stage has been meteoric. The brand made its debut appearance on the Best Global Brands list in the 2005 survey where it ranked 84th.

“Our brand management is supported by continuous improvement in the quality of our products and diversification of our model lineup,” said Brandon Yea, Hyundai’s vice president for brand strategy.

Public perception of the Hyundai brand has been transformed as a result of dramatic improvements in the quality of Hyundai vehicles. In turn, this has fueled a steady increase in sales and confidence in the brand among both customers and dealers.

Hyundai’s pursuit of a better balance between quantitative and qualitative growth has made brand management a top priority. Brand management issues now influence decision-making in styling, marketing and communications as well as at the retail and after-sales service levels.

Interbrand (www.interbrand.com), the leading brand consultancy and authors of the annual ranking of “The Best Global Brands” in partnership with BusinessWeek was founded in 1974. Interbrand has offices in over 30 cities in more than 20 countries around the globe and clients from among the most respected businesses.

BusinessWeek is a leading global business media organization which was founded in 1929 and is published by the McGraw-Hill Companies, BusinessWeek has more than 4.8 million readers each week in 140 countries. Local language editions include Chinese, Russian, and Bahasa Indonesian.

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Co. has grown into the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group which was ranked as the world’s sixth largest automaker in 2006 and includes over two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates. Employing over 68,000 people worldwide, Hyundai Motor posted US$29.4 billion in sales in 2006 (on a non-consolidated basis, [US$68.4 billion consolidated]). Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries through some 5000 dealerships and showrooms. Further information about Hyundai Motor Co. and its products is available at www.hyundai-motor.com.