Marketing The Margins

To most consumers car advertising may seem like the blunt force object of the media continuum — and yet automotive marketing is really a nuanced and surgically precise process.

On point is Hyundai with 21 new model introductions over the last 5 years — including the game-changing Genesis, the enormously popular Sonata, tough duty low-enders like the Accent and Elantra, the rally ready Veloster and the unexpected $65,000 Equus.

This run has netted Hyundai a slew of awards and accolades, uncommon gushing attention from the media — and strong steady sales and market share growth — as well as an astounding 2nd highest residual value ranking among mainstream brands right after Honda and ahead of Scion, Subaru, Toyota and Nissan.

To make sure that they capture every possible sales opportunity in every market segment Hyundai has deftly parsed their models by coupe, sedan, hatchback formats, seating and engine configurations and options packages.

Over the last 9 months multiple introductions the highly rated new Sante Fe compact crossover utility vehicle has presented the model a 5 passenger Sport, 6 passenger Limited and now 7-passenger extended length GLS — boosting the sales 37.4 percent this year from September thru February 2012.