Hyundai seeks higher quota as orders soar
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Hyundai Motor (Thailand) Co, the country's sole importer and distributor of Hyundai vehicles, is asking its parent company in South Korea for a higher quota to meet increasing orders.
In the early stage, the firm talked to JY Park, general manager for product planning at the Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Malaysia. A decision will be made in the near future, said Yoshiaki Ichimura, president of Hyundai Thailand.
This year, 6,000 Hyundai cars were sold, as projected. However, there are still many orders from clients.
Recently, Hyundai launched its new Elantra 1.8-litre four-door, to capture the performance segment in the compact class. It expects to sell 1,000 units in the model’s first year.
Saritporn Sakolrak, marketing communications and product manger of Hyundai Thailand, said the launch would allow the carmaker reach a wider range of customers.
“Currently, there are 700-800 units on order. However, the company can provide them only 500 units. The new Elantra has given [the range] more dynamism, which is expected to increase orders. It’s better if the parent company will raise the export quota to us,’’ he said.
The redesigned Elantra comes in three models. The 1.8E, with a six-speed manual transmission, will be specially priced at Bt899,000 at the upcoming Bangkok International Motor Show, with a limited number of 200 units. The 1.8S is priced at Bt1.088 million and 1.8G at Bt1.198 million.
