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Hyundai Puts More Vehicles With Standard Electronic Stability on the Road Than Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche or Volvo


Electronic Stability Control is Standard Safety Equipment on 70 Percent of
Hyundai Vehicles, More Than Any Other Popular Brand

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai continues to
demonstrate its commitment to life-saving Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) by making it standard on more of its sales volume than any luxury
brand. Hyundai expects to sell more than 350,000 ESC-equipped vehicles in
the 2007 model year -- more than Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz,
Porsche or Volvo.

Proving that ESC does not require paying premium prices, Hyundai offers
this sophisticated safety technology as standard equipment on five vehicle
lines for the 2007 model year: Sonata, Tucson, Santa Fe, Entourage, and
Azera -- all of which have starting prices between $18,000 and $25,000. All
told, 70 percent of Hyundai sales volume in the 2007 model year will be
comprised of vehicles with standard Electronic Stability Control, a higher
standard fitment rate by far than that achieved by any non-luxury brand,
including Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet or VW.

"Research universally substantiates that Electronic Stability Control
is an invaluable life-saving technology, and Hyundai is proud to lead all
popular automotive brands in providing it as standard equipment to our
customers," said John Krafcik, vice president of product development and
strategic planning, Hyundai Motor America. "Other manufacturers may talk
about their commitment to this technology, but at Hyundai, we've
demonstrated our commitment by making ESC standard equipment on 70 percent
of our volume."

A study released earlier this week by the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS) confirmed that ESC reduces the risk of all
single-vehicle crashes by more than 40 percent -- fatal crashes by 56
percent. In addition, the same research shows that ESC reduces the risk of
fatal multiple-vehicle crashes by 32 percent. The IIHS data also shows that
ESC reduces the risk of single-vehicle crashes by SUVs by 43 percent and
cars by 33 percent, while it reduces single-vehicle rollovers by SUVs by 80
percent, 77 percent for cars. The IIHS estimates that as many as 10,000
fatal accidents could be avoided each year if all vehicles were equipped
with ESC.

"Rarely do we see safety effects as large as we're seeing for
Electronic Stability Control," said Adrian Lund, president, Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety. "We encourage all vehicle manufacturers to
include this important technology on new models because the research proves
it saves lives."

Hyundai Motor America launched a new initiative in June to inform
consumers of the important life-saving technology found as standard
equipment on 70 percent of Hyundai vehicles. All Hyundai vehicles equipped
with standard ESC will be tagged with a small window decal which reads
"ESC: Life-saving technology confirmed by NHTSA and IIHS studies." This
effort is intended to help raise awareness for ESC, while underlining
Hyundai's dedication to providing this sophisticated technology as standard
equipment on the vast majority of its models.

Electronic Stability Control is just one element of Hyundai's
commitment to unsurpassed safety, which includes a wide range of active
safety equipment to help drivers avoid accidents, and passive equipment to
protect all vehicle occupants if an accident can't be avoided.
Electronic Stability Control uses sophisticated electronic and
hydraulic technologies to help stabilize situations where a driver finds
the vehicle veering from its appropriate path -- due to slippery surfaces,
driver distraction or other causes. In a University of Michigan study
released earlier this month, Electronic Stability Control reduced the
chance of an SUV being in a fatal accident by 50 percent, while reducing
the chance of a fatal rollover by 73 percent. For cars, the system reduced
the chance of a fatal accident by 31 percent and the chance of a fatal
rollover by 40 percent(1). Study author John Woodrooffe noted that
Electronic Stability Control systems "appear to be the most significant
safety advance since seat belts."

Additionally, a National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) study reports a 35 percent reduction in single vehicle crashes for
passenger cars, and a 30 percent reduction in fatal single vehicle crashes
in cars equipped with ESC. For SUVs, the numbers are even higher, with a 67
percent reduction in single vehicle crashes for SUVs and a 63 percent
reduction in fatalities(2).

Accelerating the industry's adoption rate of ESC, five Hyundai models
now come with the safety technology as standard equipment. The 2005 Tucson
SUV became the first Hyundai model to feature ESC as standard equipment
upon its launch in fall 2004. It was also the first vehicle under $20,000
with standard ESC and six airbags. The completely redesigned 2006 Sonata
mid-size sedan was the first mid-size sedan under $20,000 with standard ESC
and six airbags when it launched in spring 2005. The premium Azera large
sedan debuted in fall 2005 with standard ESC and eight standard airbags.
This year, Hyundai's first-ever minivan, Entourage, debuted with ESC, six
standard air bags, and a Gold Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety -- the highest safety rating ever awarded a
minivan. And this June, Hyundai's all-new 2007 Santa Fe mid-size crossover
debuts with standard ESC, six airbags, and a starting price below the
outgoing model, rounding out Hyundai's suite of vehicles equipped with
standard ESC, and accounting for 70 percent of 2007 model year sales
volume.

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America

spwolf

maybe thats because Hyundai is an value brand that is supposed sell a lot more than Audi or even Lexus?

I bet they even sell more ESP's than Bently, Ferrari or even RR.

lol.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

its ice to know you can get an inexspensive car with the same safety equipment as the higher end cars

XeroK00L

Excuse me, but which Lexus does not have VSC standard? I just did a check on lexus.com. ALL Lexus models, cars and SUVs, come with VSC standard. This PR is just BS from the Hyundai marketing department. Nothing more.

Mwmorph

by volume, im not sureif lexus sells 350k cars a year.

XeroK00L

Ah LOL I thought they were talking about percentage not volume. So the claim is even more retarded than I thought. They might as well mention the fact that they sell more cars with wheels than Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, etc.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

No, VSC is one of those luxury brand options that is generally thought you can't get with cheaper vehicles. Sort of how airbags, ABS, and other "luxury" options have become almost standard now. Not a retarded claim.

XeroK00L

Not a retarded claim? Did you read the title? "Hyundai Puts More Vehicles With Standard Electronic Stability on the Road Than Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche or Volvo". Yeah, sure. I bet it beats the Rolls and Maybachs just as well.

LexFather

Yeah, since I think 1998 I believe

Hyundai sometimes I think is getting 2 big for it britches.

And as a former customer who owned one of their truly crap products, much like my families previous crap Ford and GM products, I will NEVER EVER buy this brand again.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

How is that a retarded claim if it is true? I'm all for advanced safety features making it into cheaper vehicles. Does Toyota have VSC as standard on their cars? When you spend $50k+ for a car, then you expect to have these things standard. I'm sure Hyundai does put more vehicles with VSC than Maybach and Rolls also. This is an advanced safety feature that used to be available only on the most expensive cars. Whats with the Hyundai bashing? They are totally different cars than the Excels of yore. Whatever.

XeroK00L

Geez aren't you able to tell the difference between stating the truth and pointing out the obvious? If China claims that there are more Chinese people with IQ greater than 150 than any other country do you then regard Chinese as a smarter race? They're telling the truth right?

This is not Hyundai bashing. I respect them for making VSC/ESC standard on a higher percentage of their vehicles than other popular brands such as Toyota and Ford as the PR properly claims. But the title and the first paragraph are just horribly misleading and deceiving by comparing Hyundai's sales volume to those of Lexus and BMW and other luxury brands. Again, please, use some common sense and reread the title and what I said. It can't be any more obvious.

LexFather

yall correct me if I am wrong but doesn't all Scion vehicles have VSC?

XeroK00L

Err actually, no Scion has VSC, not even as an option. I guess it's ABS that you were thinking.

jrock65

Stability control on 70% of their vehicles. That's pretty nice. I bet that the percentage for Toyota/Honda/Nissan isn't even 40%.

Who cares if they make silly numbers comparisons to luxury brands. It's called marketing mumbo-jumbo and anyone with half a brain should see it as that.

xioix

Toyota would only need to sell 20% of its cars with VSC to be a more volume seller more than Hyundai in the US