Hyundai Motor America (HMA) has made a high-level corporate decision to actively pursue commercial fleet opportunities to increase exposure to Hyundai products.  Headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., HMA is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed in the United States by HMA and are sold and serviced by over 800 dealerships throughout the nation.

Last June, Gary Knapp was named national manager, fleet and remarketing operations for HMA. He replaced Tom Hetrick, who was promoted to regional general manager.

Another relatively new addition to HMA's fleet department is Richard Pipenhagen, who joined HMA last April as corporate sales manager, responsible for developing and implementing Hyundai's first commercial fleet program.  

Business Fleet's sister publication, Automotive Fleet, interviewed Pipenhagen to learn more about Hyundai's plans and objectives in the commercial fleet market.

AF: Why did Hyundai decide to enter the commercial fleet market?

RP: Hyundai Motor America views commercial fleet as a viable avenue to further expand our reach into the U.S. market. Corporations are very image-conscious and if they choose Hyundai vehicles to be part of their company fleet, we are provided further confirmation that we are doing all the right things pertaining to product acceptability.  

AF:  How does the Hyundai fleet ordering system work?

RP: Commercial fleet is a relatively new endeavor for Hyundai, so current functionality is mostly manual. That being said, we have an extremely seasoned operations staff, so they can support whatever comes our way. Hyundai has a 20-year track record serving the rental fleet market. There are numerous efficiencies built into our planning.

AF: What will be the average order-to-delivery time for commercial fleet orders?

RP: The plant in Alabama will afford standard four- to eight-week delivery times, while vehicles sourced from Korea usually take about three months. Fortunately, much of what is piquing traditional fleets' interest is resident at the various ports and can be available rather quickly.

AF: Has Hyundai created a fleet courtesy delivery program?

RP: One is being developed now.

AF: What steps has Hyundai taken to make its dealers more fleet-minded?

RP: Many are multifranchise operators and already have a fleet acumen; therefore, not a lot of challenges should arise with that type of infrastructure.

AF: Will the Hyundai retail warranty program apply to fleet buyers? Is the warranty program transferrable to buyers of out-of-service Hyundai fleet products?

RP: Yes, the retail warranty is available to all commercial fleet customers, but it is not transferable.

AF: What are the projected 36-month residual values for Hyundai models targeted for commercial fleet sales?

RP: Depreciation should remain very low with the current lineup of model series, and the future looks even more encouraging as new products evolve. Hyundai is a solid player when a fleet manager is zeroed-in on total lifecycle cost.

AF: Does Hyundai have plans to increase the number of models built in the United States?

RP: We currently produce Elantra, Sonata, and Santa Fe in the U.S. These vehicles represent 70 percent of our total sales volume. At this time, we have no plans to further expand U.S. production.  

AF: Can you provide us a glimpse of future Hyundai models that will be sold in the U.S.?

RP: The 2011 Elantra will be arriving approximately in December and it will be a show-stopper. Sonata will have a very ambitiously and competitively priced hybrid in November, along with a 258 horsepower, four-cylinder turbo due about the same time. Our luxury vehicle, the Equus, which has been in the Korean marketplace for quite some time, will debut in October in the U.S. It will be available in a four- and five-passenger version and it will be priced very competitively. These are exciting times at HMA and the future looks remarkably promising.

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Sidebar: Western Region Dealer Selling

The Hyundai fleet program is expanding beyond rental cars and is serious about going after commercial and government fleet business, says Roy Durham Jr. of RP Automotive, a Roger S. Penske Jr. company located in West Covina, Calif. The manufacturer is establishing parameters for its fleet dealers, working on a formal courtesy delivery network and developing a fleet Web site. During this process, one dealer is taking fleet orders now.

"We can handle orders of all sizes, we are aggressive on price, and the Hyundai delivery system allows us to deliver vehicles directly to end users anywhere in the US," says Durham. "We have sold numerous Hyundai vehicles to both government and commercial accounts and we have received nothing but praise as to how well the vehicles fit in with their existing fleet. The drivers like the change, and the Hyundai warranty really reduces the cost of ownership - especially as vehicle cycle times are increasing."

Durham says he can deliver to anywhere in the United States. Order-to-delivery times are 90 to 120 days or less, depending on model. Durham can help interested fleet customers obtain a Hyundai fleet account number. Hyundai requires 10 registered vehicles to constitute a fleet.

Durham can be reached at (800) 245-4541 or rdurham@rpautomotive.com.