Shou Wang – Look to the future with Hyundai’s new sub brand

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If any company needs a sub brand in China, its Hyundai. Does Honda need a sub brand to push its brand upwards? Nope. Does Nissan? Nope. Are Nissan and Honda aiming to make money via the easiest way possible? Yes.

Hyundai’s turn around over the past 18 months has come via a new vastly improved range of vehicles which out rank their previous generation vehicles by a thousand miles. The new IX35 SUV, Sonata, i30 hatch and sedan etc cannot be compared to the Elantra’s and Sonatas of a decade ago, but public opinion of car brands moves slower than glacial ice and it maybe five years to ten years before the phrase “I drive a Hyundai” changes in meaning from “This guy can’t afford a good car” to “This guy is smart with his money”, so the best way to push Hyundai’s up in the brand rankings is to put a brand below it, of course they have Kia but the two brands have separated their ways over the past few years with Kia going for the young trendy crowd and Hyundai going for the family/business crowd.

Shou Wang will be assembled by the Beiijng-Hyundai joint venture with the first model being based on the current Hyundai Elantra which will be replaced in mid 2012 with a new vehicle. Hyundai were one of the first car manufacturers in China to mull over the possibilities of developing a sub brand but GM beat them to the finish line with the Baojun brand. If Hyundai are aiming for success with the new Shou Wang brand they are going to have to pull out all the stops in the design language, if they think that merely changing the badge on an old Elantra to Shou Wang is going to be enough then they are in for a shock. Chinese automotive media have been overly critical of the Li Nian brand from Honda and gave Nissan a bashing in the media this week when the rather bland Venucia D50 sedan was launched – the obvious overtones of the old Nissan Tiida were enough to send the press into melt down with accusations of Nissan being overly eager to earn money rather than bring new cars.

When will see Shou Wang? Beijing-Hyundai are saying that it will come in the next two years, although it may come later if Shou Wang want to make a car and not badge engineer Shou Wang to an old Hyundai.

Text: Frank, Pictures: Ash.