Automotive manufacturer Hyundai Automotive South Africa’s commercial vehicles division’s greatest challenge is creating brand awareness, says Hyundai Automotive South Africa commercial vehicles GM Danie de Beer, who adds that the problem is compounded by the lack of right-hand-drive trucks being imported from the Korean manufacturer.

“A little known fact is that, despite Hyundai manufacturing trucks from a 2 t payload to 6 × 4 axle configured 56 t truck-tractors, we only receive two right-hand-drive models in South Africa: the 3 t HD 65 and the 4 t HD 72,” he stresses.

De Beer notes that left-hand-drive commercial vehicles are the bulk of Hyundai’s commercial vehicle business and the economies of scale currently do not warrant additional model exports to South Africa.

“This is our biggest hurdle at the moment. All we can do to tackle the issue is increase sales volumes of the models we have in South Africa and prove to Hyundai, in Korea, that there is a market for other models. This will also push down the price of importing these trucks, as it costs a significant amount to convert left-hand-drive vehicles,” he explains, noting that Hyundai Automotive South Africa is competing against companies who have a significantly larger range.

“As we cannot import more products, we aim to improve and enhance our service offering, constantly looking at improving our products and the skills base in our dealerships. We have well-developed training modules, particularly for our sales people, giving knowledgeable insight into the business of trucks and transportation.

“Salespeople are trained to find transport solutions for customers through the use of computer software that provides data on weight distribution, costs and route simulations to determine trip times and fuel consumption.

“We have also improved the warranty on our trucks dramatically, from a one-year warranty to a two-year unlimited warranty and, finally, in 2012 we launched a three year, 200 000 km roadside assistance warranty,” De Beer highlights.

The company has also applied local technology to the imported truck, such as a turbo-protector that gravity-feeds oil into the turbo when the truck is switched off. “This helps cool and lubricate the turbo and we have almost no turbo warranty claims or turbo sales for our commercial vehicles.

“Turbos can spin up to 100 000 revolutions a minute, resulting in severe heat and friction in the casing of the turbo. The best way to treat a turbo is to stop and idle the vehicle for a few minutes,” De Beer explains, adding that drivers do not do this, resulting in the identification for a turbo-protector.