Hyundai Lanka enters commercial vehicle market

By David Ebert

Hyundai Lanka Comm-ercial Vehicles Ltd., a subsidiary of Hyundai Lanka Ltd., launched a brand new range of Hyundai trucks and luxury buses to the country, with a grand showroom opening in Battaramulla.

The Hyundai HD series light trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 6,500-7,800 kgs will be available in many variations such as cab/chassis type, half body, full aluminium body, refrigerator truck, bottle carrier, crane truck, wrecker type, bowsers and aerial lift platform trucks for construction and commercial use.

In addition, the company looks to capture a share of the tourist bus market with the introduction of the Universe series luxury tour bus, with a 45+1 seating capacity, which comes packed with a host of features such as exhaust brakes, ABS, air suspension, refrigeration and many other lavish features.

The company also stated that a range of heavy commercial vehicles with a GVW of 43,000 kgs would be launched by the middle of the year, which will include a host of construction industry variants such as tipper trucks and concrete mixers as well as 17-seater passenger buses too.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Hyundai Lanka Commercial Vehicles, Assistant General Manager Wiraj De Mel, speaking on the company’s tie-up with Hyundai Motor Corporation in the venture, said: “We are privileged to be the distributors of Hyundai Motor Corporation and excited with the new opportunities it presents for us to diversify in to more segments of the automotive industry in Sri Lanka. Hyundai is the world’s fastest growing auto brand since 2005 and according to Interbrand’s 2012 best 100 global brands, Hyundai brand value has surged 24.4% from 2011 to $7.5 billion, surpassing the industry average of 11.2%. These brilliant achievements are attributable to Hyundai’s focus on brand management as well as on quality.”

De Mel also stated that the significant growth by the Korean auto giant in the midst of a global economic slump and intensifying competition in the auto industry is proof of the belief customers possess in the brand.

The company is a subsidiary of the diversified Prestige Group which holds the distributorship for BMW luxury vehicles, Mini Cooper cars, Hyundai passenger cars, SUV’s and vans in the country and also counts a significant presence in the plant and machinery industry, being a leading supplier of machinery to the cement industry currently.Prestige Automobiles Ltd. Chairman and Managing Director Hans Reuter stated that the company has steadily progressed over the years to become the undisputed leader through BMW and Hyundai vehicles, serving an estimated customer base of over 8,000.

Reuters also said that the leading brands are well supported by several fully-equipped workshops, including a collision repair centre fitted with state-of-the-art tools and equipment. Furthermore the company also possesses a fully-stocked spare parts inventory for both brands, 24-hour roadside assistance, and an efficient after sales service which would extend to the new commercial vehicle category as well. – Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera