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21 | Thursday, February 20, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, February 20, 2014 | 20 Hyundai of Oakville's consistent success has earned the company 12 President's Awards of Merit In 2007 , when Hyundai of Oakville opened the doors of its gleaming new 20,000 sq ft dealership on South Service Road, it was a multi-faceted celebration. Even though the business had been operating for 23 years on Speers Road, thriving after humble beginnings, the new building was the manifestation of Hyundai's tremendous inroads within the industry, and its owners' astute business acumen. People were no longer chuckling at the name. The South Korean car manufacturer owned almost 10 percent of the market share, after committing to building more stylish, quality vehicles with enviable price points. The low budget entry level Hyundai Pony of the early 70's - priced at an economical $3,500 ­ was a distant memory as Hyundai re-built its reputation, skimming seven per cent of its profits back into research and development. "Hyundai introduced a lot of well designed, quality cars that won numerous awards. People started to notice Hyundai over the last five to 10 years, " said Hyundai of Oakville owner Ronald Chan. While other car manufacturers floundered during several recessions, Hyundai flourished, becoming the fifth largest car manufacturer in the world with three million cars sold. The tremendous value of the Hyundai vehicles was their biggest selling point, said Ronald and buffeted them through the tough economic times. Hyundai's new vision included the introduction of a fiveyear, 100,000 km warranty, the first of its kind in Canada. "Basically Hyundai was saying, we stand behind our product. To this day, we still have it (the warranty) and it is still one of the top warrantees in the industry, " said Ronald's son Derek, a computer engineer with Proctor & Gamble before joining the family business in 2007 and eventually taking over the day-to-day operations. Hyundai of Oakville's consistent success has earned the company 12 President's Awards of Merit, given annually to the top 15 dealerships across the country, and the honour of selling Hyundai's luxury brand Equus, bestowed on fewer than 20 dealers. "Even with all the changes we never forgot our value proposition; even though the cars are well equipped and look really good, the price point has remained very competitive, " said Derek. "We understand that's what made us who we are today; our value proposition is, bar none, the best in the industry. When you spend $10 here compared to $10 somewhere else, you can expect to get the most for your money with Hyundai. " Hyundai appeals to every demographic from the new selling car in Canada (against the Honda Civic) and I think we're very close to beating them, " said Derek. "It shows the brand power of Hyundai these days. We're no longer seen as the ugly duckling. " Ronald is proud of the dealership which he bought jointly with his cousin Benjamin Leung shortly after arriving from Hong Kong as a new immigrant. Two years later, the men opened a second dealership, Toronto Hyundai, and eventually split the partnership with Ronald taking over sole ownership of Hyundai of Oakville and Leung, the Toronto dealership. Of all his business ventures and investments, the dealership has been the most satisfying not solely for the reason its success is a proud achievement for the man who grew up in poverty and sought new opportunities in Canada, but the family business can be passed from generation to generation. With many longtime employees the atmosphere at Hyundai of Oakville is one of family. "We have a really good core of people here. Even though we're now five times the size physically, there is still a family culture that we want to preserve and grow; keep that close knit atmosphere but bring it into the new age with technology processes, " said Derek. Processes may be digitalized but it still comes down to a person buying a vehicle, said Derek. "That's the most important thing to focus on. Customers are buying perhaps their second biggest purchase and it's a daunting thing to do, so they have to really be comfortable with who they're doing that with, and trust them. " As he trains his "successor" , Ronald can bask in his semiretirement and the satisfaction of knowing the dealership is in his son's good hands, a dealership that currently sells upwards of 900 cars a year, can showcase 10 cars and boasts 10 service bays, as well as a stellar reputation within the industry. A sign of good things to come might have been the first weekend Hyundai of Oakville was under new ownership, when Ronald and Benjamin sold as many cars over that Saturday and Sunday as had been sold every month prior. "Every day I'm learning something about who he is and what he's done, " said Derek of his father. To celebrate the 30th anniversary, Hyundai of Oakville will give away a new Accent in November through ballots given with every test drive. DEREK AND RONALD CHAN driver to the luxury drive seeker, with a well balanced lineup offering many different price points: two types of SUVs, sport coupes, four wheel drive vehicles and twodoor cars. "Our Elantra four door sedan competed for the best Hyundai Auto Canada is established and becomes the first country with an overseas subsidiary for Hyundai Motor Company ­ three years before the company entered the U.S. market. 1983 1984 1993 2000 2008 1,000,000th Hyundai vehicle sold in Canada. 2009 2010 200 Hyundai Dealers now operate in communities across Canada Genesis wins North American and Canadian Car of the Year Awards. 2012 Elantra wins North American and Canadian Car of the Year Awards. 2012 Hyundai Hockey Helpers launched, helping 1,879 children play our national game 2013 500,000th Hyundai vehicle sold in Canada. The first 45 Hyundai dealers open for business Elantra wins Best Economy Car from Motoring. YEARS OF PROGRESS IN CANDA 30 Santa Fe Sport 2.0T wins Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year Award 2014 ACCENT 2014 ELANTRA 2014 ELANTRA5door 2014 VELOSTER 2014 GENESISCoupe 2014 SONATA 2014 TUCSON 2014 SANTA FE 2015 GENESIS 2014 EQUUS 5-year/100,000 km Comprehensive Limited Warranty 5-year/100,000 km Powertrain Warranty 5-year/100,000 km Emission Warranty HYUNDAI 2014 VEHICLE LINEUP