Toyota, Honda loosing ground, Hyundai benfits most

It’ been 7 full months since the distressing events of the Japanese tsunami, and in that time the country has worked hard to pick up the pieces, but despite their best efforts, the Japanese auto industry is still very much feeling the effects of the tragedy.

The result has been a major shortage of vehicles that has caused the market share for the Japanese auto industry, the 3rd largest in the world, to drop by a full 4 points over the previous year according to figures released by Kelley Blue Book (KBB).

It’s a cut throat market, and those losses have meant good news for their competitors, with Hyundai being one of the companies that has benefitted greatly from the Japanese car shortages.

They picked up a full point in the market shuffle, and while that may not seem like much, it actually translates to a rather large shift in sales volume, as witnessed by the leaps that Hyundai have made in the compact and mid-size car categories, both of which have seen a 3% plus increase in numbers from the previous year.

The gains in the compact category, thanks in large part to the Hyundai 2012 Elantra, are especially pleasing for Hyundai, as this is the segment that has been the most dominant for the Japanese over the years.

This has also led to Hyundai having some shortage issues of their own, but that has everything to do with them being unable to meet the demands for their vehicles, despite the fact that they have all their plants working at full capacity.

While not an ideal situation, that shortage has created a demand that has seen customers travel to other cities in order to get their hands on Hyundai that is in a color or style that is not available in their own hometown.

Hyundai, perhaps more than any other carmaker, would have seen their numbers rise, whether the problems with the Japanese auto industry had happened or not. Their commitment to re-designing their brand and making their vehicles much more desirable, as well as affordable and fuel efficient.

That re-design has taken place across their entire line-up which includes the Elantra, Sonata, Tucson, Veloster, Genesis and Accent, and their sales figures have continues to steadily rise, setting records along the way, since their commitment to a better brand.

The Japanese auto industry is beginning to show signs of making a bit of a comeback, and it is Hyundai’s critically and consumer acclaimed models that have the best chance of holding onto the gains made during this tough time in Japanese auto history.