Commentary: Hyundai has been busted over performance claims before

[ne_one]

Hyundai has been busted over performance claims before
Automotive News
November 6, 2012
by Mark Rechtin

It was revealed Friday that Hyundai Motor and its Kia Motors affiliate had overstated mpg ratings on 900,000 vehicles.

And it was not the first time Hyundai has been caught in its own false claims.

In 2002, Hyundai admitted that it had overstated horsepower ratings on 1.3 million vehicles. At the time Hyundai said it would make compensation payments of between $76 million and $127 million, while plaintiffs' lawyers projected the actual payout would be closer to $30 million.

Coincidence?

Consider this: Back in the 1990s, before Hyundai had a reputation for quality, it was selling a lot fewer vehicles, many of which were seen as wheezy donkeys. So the automaker banked on horsepower.

Hyundai vehicles suddenly found buckets of power in its wee engines, gaining 5 or 10 hp that hadn't existed before. The engines jumped to the head of their competitive classes. Horsepower became a key refrain in Hyundai advertising.

Then came the hammer. The EPA busted Hyundai for overstating horsepower on six vehicles spanning up to 11 model years. Ratings on some six-cylinder models were off by as much as 20 hp. Hyundai claimed the too-high numbers stemmed from improper testing procedures.

So, back to 2012.

Full article at link.

[Canuck]

Neither H/K use the SAE standard for measuring horsepower, has there ever been any doubt that they are liars?

[vanshmack]

It seems that Hyundai has a fundamental problem with telling the truth in regards to how its vehicles perform.

Heaven forbid they have any future issues with anything that could be dangerous or safety-related because then they would be, well, Toyota!

[blowngtp]

Neither H/K use the SAE standard for measuring horsepower, has there ever been any doubt that they are liars?

And yet the Buick Regal did and it still sits on the lot. Go figure. Oh maybe thats H/K fault also..........

[germeezy1]

I have said this in every thread regarding the most recent debacle, and many act as if I was as keen to lie as Hyundai / Kia is. This is no coincedence, and if many truly understood the culture of deceit than they would truly understand that this is not unusual for their corporate culture.

[germeezy1]

And yet the Buick Regal did and it still sits on the lot. Go figure. Oh maybe thats H/K fault also..........

SAE, and their J1349 certification tells me that unlike Hyundai/ Kia GM is not deceitful in relation to engine output. Also unlike Hyundai/ Kia who struggles to build a competent engine without either blatant copying or a shared engine program. GM does not struggle to meet their claimed mileage standards nor power standards.

[yamahr1]

It would be great if part of the settlement were that H/K had to run statements in their ads that previous claims of 40MPG were inaccurate.

[germeezy1]

It would be great if part of the settlement were that H/K had to run statements in their ads that previous claims of 40MPG were inaccurate.

That would only be fair punishment for their blatant, and deceitful oversight in this area.

[BlackGTP]

Hmmmm, hp lied about, mpg lied about. Now how about their quailty ranking? Perhaps a little bit of a fib there also???? I know consumer reports, etc are independent, but what about info for product recalls?

[mjd1001]

Neither H/K use the SAE standard for measuring horsepower, has there ever been any doubt that they are liars?

Are they still doing it now? This is only one test so far but as per motor trend in some of their latest full Crossover tests of similar vehicles:

VW Tiguan: 6 spd automatic, 3751 lbs, 4 cylinder turbo, 200hp, 0-60 in 7.8 seconds, quarter mile 16.0

GMC Terrain: 6 spd auto, 4270lbs, 3.6 v6, quarter mile in 15.2 seconds

2013 Ford Escape: 6 spd auto, 3791 lbs, 4 cylinder turbo, 240hp, 0-60 in 6.8, quarter mile 15.2.

2013 Hyunda Santa Fe Sport: 6 speed auto, 3936lbs, 4 cylinder turbo, 264hp, 0-60 in 9.1, quarter mile in 16.8.

[Canuck]

Are they still doing it now? This is only one test so far but as per motor trend in some of their latest full Crossover tests of similar vehicles:

VW Tiguan: 6 spd automatic, 3751 lbs, 4 cylinder turbo, 200hp, 0-60 in 7.8 seconds, quarter mile 16.0

GMC Terrain: 6 spd auto, 4270lbs, 3.6 v6, quarter mile in 15.2 seconds

2013 Ford Escape: 6 spd auto, 3791 lbs, 4 cylinder turbo, 240hp, 0-60 in 6.8, quarter mile 15.2.

2013 Hyunda Santa Fe Sport: 6 speed auto, 3936lbs, 4 cylinder turbo, 264hp, 0-60 in 9.1, quarter mile in 16.8.

Unless H/K recently adopted SAE standards but I won't be surprised if they do after this news.

[red_rider]

It would be great if part of the settlement were that H/K had to run statements in their ads that previous claims of 40MPG were inaccurate.

Yep, that would be the only fair way to undo the perception they gained. Otherwise they're hoping the apology will be quieter than the lie, and a net gain.

[germeezy1]

I remember the great lengths that Ford went through to make sure that 99 Cobra owners ( myself included) received a car that did indeed make it's rated power.

[mchicha]

Like Mbukukanyau used to argue with that Hyundai employee who used to post here. This is a company one cannot trust and should never be mention in the same breath as other automakers.

Its leadership is especially corrupt.

[01sunfire01]

This just keeps getting better and better. I feel bad for the people that bought these junks.