Hyundai cars feted anew; Santa Fe and Kona bag design and safety nods

Hyundai once again finds itself at the forefront of the global automotive industry as several of its vehicles have received awards and recognition from prestigious organizations. First, the 2018 Kona and the 2019 Santa Fe bagged Silver at the 2018 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) for their forward-thinking design and distinct styling. IDEA recognizes brilliant international designs annually across several fields aside from the Automotive Industry, including Consumer Tech and the Environment. The Kona and Santa Fe were also judged by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to be as safe as they are stylish. The IIHS is an independent, non-profit research organization that aims to reduce losses from motor vehicle accidents. Both vehicles earned the highest rating, Top Safety Pick+, after a battery of crash tests from several angles, among other criteria. These two vehicles were joined by the 2018 Elantra and the 2018 Sonata with top marks. The 2018 Tucson and the 2019 Accent garnered the next best rating, Top Safety Pick. Of late, Hyundai Motor was also ranked among the Top 40 Best Global Brands by Interbrand for the fourth consecutive year. Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. President and CEO Ma. Fe PerezAgudo had this to say about the auto company’s recent triumphs: “2018 has been a landmark year for Hyundai, both globally and in the Philippines. In the first quarter of 2018, HARI won three awards for excellence in Commercial Vehicles, Passenger Car sales, and Customer Satisfaction in After Sales. Earlier this year, Hyundai was ranked among the top 3 brands in the Initial Quality Study by J.D. Power. Hyundai was also named the Most Satisfying Popular Brand in AutoPacific’s 2018 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.” The IDEA nods follow the international recognition received by the All-New Kona and the i30 Fastback from the iF Design Awards. The awards, conferred by the iF International Forum Design, recognized the elegant and expressive appearance of the industry’s first fivedoor coupe in the compact segment and Hyundai Motor’s first subcompact SUV. In April, Hyundai won two Red Dot Design Awards for the Kona and NEXO. This makes for the fifth consecutive year and a total of 10 Red Dot design awards bagged by Hyundai Motor Company. Finally, in May 2018, Hyundai Kona was honored with the prestigious Good Design Award® at the 60th Annual Good Design Awards Ceremony held at the Sydney Opera House. Once again, Hyundai’s style-driven small SUV was cited for outstanding design and innovation in the Product Design category. Ms. Agudo noted, “HARI has always been committed to being the lifetime mobility partner of the Filipino. The awards and recognition received in 2018 show that we are achieving this by offering vehicles of unparalleled safety and quality, with world-class service to match.”