27 October 2011
You thought “Most Improved” was a concept thankfully left behind in your primary school days. Alas, this awkward pat-on-the-back is still being passed around in the grown-up world, confusing recipients with its combination of “well done” and “you used to be dreadful”.
For example: UK magazine Auto Express has awarded Hyundai most improved car manufacturer in its “10 Years of Driver Power” survey. Applause all around!
“No brand has taken such a massive leap over the past decade as Hyundai... Its range now is unrecognisable from 2002,” said acting editor for Auto Express Graham Hope.
Auto Express tracked Hyundai’s trajectory in 300,000 surveys over the last 10 years and concluded that the carmaker had gone from being one of the lousiest brands to one of the five best. The model that seems to have made the biggest contribution to Hyundai’s stellar leap is the i30; since its launch in 2007 it has been performing strongly in the magazine’s satisfaction poll and is now rated fourth in the Top 50 cars of the decade. A year later, the industry is still reeling from shock of the i30 being named the most satisfying car in the 2010 survey.
The English aren’t the only champions of the Korean manufacturer; in an independent survey conducted by CANSTAR Blue, Australians chose Hyundai over other auto-makers in terms of customer satisfaction and value for money.
Keep on keeping on Hyundai!