Brazilian Car of the Year 2013 Hyundai HB20 5-Door
The Hyundai HB20 5-door hatchback was the first vehicle made exclusively for the Brazilian market by the Korean automaker.
And today it was rewarded with the 2013 Brazilian Car of the Year at the Museu Brasileiro da Escultura (MuBE) in Sao Paulo City.
The 2013 Hyundai HB20 5-door became the first Korean car to win the award, with the final decision made by a panel consisting of 11 different media outlets, including Autoesporte, one of the top industry magazines in the country.
The panel was asked to choose the best from all the new cars released in Brazil over the past year. Chang-Kyun Han, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Brasil, spoke about how honored the company was to have received such a prestigious award.
He gave a large majority of the credit to the research and design team that was responsible for the creation of the new HB20 5-door hatchback.
He said it was their hard work and dedication that allowed Hyundai to deliver a vehicle that identified the major characteristics of the Brazilian market.
A number of different factors were taken into account by the judges, including technology, design, safety, economy, comfort, and overall performance. After evaluating each model, each judge chose their top 5, with the five cars receiving the most votes going into the final round.
This year, Hyundai HB20 competed for the top honors with Chevrolet Sonic, Citroën C3, Peugeot 308 and Toyota Etios.
Hyundai’s “one kit” assembly system
The 2013 Hyundai HB20 is not only made specifically for the Brazilian market, it’s manufactured there too, at the Piracicaba plant in Sao Paulo state.
The cars, as well as all the other Hyundai HB models made there are manufactured using an assembly process known as “one-kit.”
The on-kit assembly system is truly unique, with all the vehicle parts gathered in a container. The container runs along the entire production line, making for an easier, safer, more efficient assembly process for everyone in the plant.
The whole one-kit system starts out in an assigned picking area, where assemblers use a computer to select the parts needed to assemble the vehicle.
All of the parts are then organized in a container and scanned to ensure that they are all present and accounted for.
From that point forward, the robots take over, moving the container to the correct spots along the line.
The container stays with the vehicle all the way along the assembly line, allowing team members to safely access the parts whenever they need to. All of the robots are equipped with sensors that guarantee the safety of the workers.
Eugênio Cesare, a Production General Manager at Hyundai Motor Brazil spoke about the one-kit process, saying that when compared to other assembly lines, this one allowed for the easier handling of materials, whilst also cutting back on the number of industrial vehicles on the floor.
In all, he feels that the on-kit system makes for a safer, more efficient work environment.
The one-kit system was first used in South Korea, but the Brazilian production plant is where it has been most wholly put in place.
A team of Korean trainers traveled to Brazil to teach the employees exactly how to use the system. The plant in Brazil now serves as the one-kit training center for all of Hyundai’s other global manufacturing plants.
