Full Transcript for Car Talk With Melinda Ferguson: Hyundai Venue

00:00:07 Speaker 1: All right, from boats to cars. Now, what connects high-speed international motorsport, school libraries in South Africa, and one of the country's most competitive small SUVs? Well, the answer is Hyundai. Melinda Ferguson joins us now to unpack what the brand is doing, both on and off the road, and then will let us know whether the Hyundai Venue should be your next ride. Melinda, hello. Sorry that we're a bit late. 00:00:34 Speaker 2: Well, I was as riveted by that interview you did before. 00:00:37 Speaker 3: And I actually said to you, why don't you just cut the car show and just carry on? 00:00:40 Speaker 2: Because I'd literally listen. 00:00:42 Speaker 3: I was like, do I really have to come on air? Can't we just listen to him? 00:00:45 Speaker 1: Wasn't he incredible? So many people messaging in saying. 00:00:49 Speaker 2: SJ, fascinating. 00:00:50 Speaker 3: Have you got a book? Because now my publisher says, get a book from him. I know. 00:00:55 Speaker 1: I don't know. We'll have to ask him. We'll have to ask him. But yeah, he was incredible. 00:00:59 Speaker 3: Right. 00:01:00 Speaker 1: Mel, let's start then with Hyundai as Hyundai, should I say, Hyundai to rhyme with Sunday. I'll never forget when you told me that. Hyundai as a brand. I think for many South Africans, it's become a really kind of familiar, fairly mainstream choice. I've got one. But it's actually got quite an interesting story in terms of how it's positioning itself kind of internationally, locally, and with its corporate social responsibility. 00:01:28 Speaker 2: Absolutely. 00:01:28 Speaker 3: I mean, once upon a time, you know, the South Korean brand Hyundai, Kia, I mean, they were always connected, Kia, Hyundai. 00:01:36 Speaker 2: They are very similar. 00:01:37 Speaker 3: I think Kia, Hyundai even are in the same company now, but they haven't been at times. Yeah. They were really seen quite like as Toyota once was seen as an absolute like rubbish brand. They were really seen as just this kind of South Korean, you know, sort of wannabe brand. And they've grown so hugely. Let's just talk globally. I mean, I, when I was in Amsterdam, one of the cars, the Ubers I got into, which I only did electric because I'm still going to write a whole story and I owe someone a story. 00:02:09 Speaker 2: So you'll get it soon. 00:02:10 Speaker 3: But the Ioniq, This amazing Hyundai battery electric Ioniq 5 is the most beautiful battery electric. I rode in Teslas, and to be honest, I preferred the Hyundai. Beautiful cars, and they're doing so much globally, like in the area of hybrids, electric mobility, robotics. I mean, they are huge in robotics globally. They've also gotten into performance vehicles. They do a lot of stuff in rally cars. There's a luxury arm of their brand now. So I think that internationally, Hyundai's really got that respectable badge. And in South Africa, it has absolutely shown that. People trust Hyundai. They're number five consistently in the country. They've got a very good market share of just over 5%. They're struggling to hold on to market share because, guess what? The Chinese cars have just changed the entire market. 00:03:12 Speaker 1: Hmm. It's not just about making sort of family cars either. And, you know, mine is a real like 2.4 children, you know, sort of workhorse. 00:03:26 Speaker 2: It's become. 00:03:27 Speaker 1: Pretty serious contender in international motorsport. I did not know this. 00:03:32 Speaker 3: Yeah. 00:03:33 Speaker 2: Oh, it's huge. 00:03:34 Speaker 3: So every Hyundai is quite a favorite amongst the local media in Cape Town because we usually do kind of quite a similar launch. And Stanley Anderson, who heads up Hyundai in South Africa, he loves telling us how rallying. Hyundai Rally Sports is doing. So always, our first part of our presentations is catching up with how Hyundai is doing globally. Listen, at that point, I think I ran out and I answered my phone. So if you ask me now, how is Hyundai doing globally with RallyWise, ask the listeners to give me some feedback because I honestly ran out at that part. So please, Sarah, do not put me on the spot. 00:04:13 Speaker 1: Okay, I won't. What is the benefit, by the way, of a manufacturer spending money enormous amounts of money on on motorsport like. 00:04:22 Speaker 3: Is it is it just the prestige yeah it's huge is it i mean listen yeah just go and watch the michael schumacher documentary which is one of the most brilliant by the way and i never liked michael but watch it on netflix if you can not an ad for netflix but it's brilliant um motorsport is huge in the world like you just start seeing the kind of fan base of it yeah and so it gives them enormous brand visibility It is all about, like Toyota started their GR. Hyundai's got their N. 00:04:52 Speaker 2: It's called N. 00:04:53 Speaker 1: Right. 00:04:53 Speaker 2: N is their motor sports arm. Audi's got RS. Yeah. 00:04:59 Speaker 3: BMW's got GTI. You know, BMW's got M. Everyone's got that sport thing, the glamorous, the speedy, the freedom of speed. Yeah. 00:05:13 Speaker 2: And Hyundai's got. 00:05:15 Speaker 3: Hyundai that they had in South Africa. Oh, gosh, no. 00:05:20 Speaker 2: i30N. 00:05:20 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that was it. Please, God, if someone rescue me. My brain's got holes in it, Sarah. Anyway, it's a brilliant racing car. It's like GTI stuff. You can take it, you know, and beat a GTI with that kind of technology. speed. So Hyundai's made some really big, big, big noise in rally and in motorsport in general. 00:05:40 Speaker 1: And then something that I didn't know about Hyundai and its presence in South Africa is that it has got a really strong commitment to education and literacy. And it's even been establishing some libraries in schools. Tell us about that. 00:05:55 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I did not know that. 00:05:58 Speaker 3: And I was really happy because I mean, of course, me and you are writers above