Hyundai caters to luxury market with new services

In the eyes of increasingly discerning Chinese customers, premium vehicles are not only defined by lavish interiors and advanced technology but also by the special services that manufacturers and dealers offer.

With this in mind, South Korean carmaker Hyundai has been improving services for buyers of its top-of-the-line Equus and Rohens models to sharpen the brand's competitive edge in the field of luxury vehicles.

A model walks past Hyundai Motor's i40 during a fashion show at the "Premium Younique Lifestyle (PYL)" event held by Hyundai Motor at the Central City Millennium Hall, in the Gangnam area of Seoul October 17, 2012. [Photo / Agencies]

One example is the Hyundai Premium Assurance program that was launched at the beginning of this year.

With services tailored to meet the needs of individual buyers, the program's goal is to capture the hearts and minds of customers and secure their brand loyalty.

Part of the program is home-to-home service, which enables owners to make a phone call and then leave the rest to the dealers. The carmaker has received rave reviews about the service thus far.

Though home service is not exclusive among car companies, Hyundai has set the benchmark by offering a standard driving service for buyers who are not confident in their driving ability, and dealers have a designated driver to take the car away from the showroom.

Other special offers of the Hyundai Premium Assurance program include a free trip to South Korea and personal maintenance counselors.

The company said that it wants to make the customers feel special like a football star who has a private therapist and a personal physical training team.

The brand has the character of a gentleman, according to the company, and Hyundai knows how to respect the customers.

The core of Hyundai's program is long-term warranties.

For Equus buyers, the company offers a five-year warranty with unlimited mileage and 20 free trips to the company shop for maintenance services, and on Rohens models, Hyundai provides a five-year 100,000-km warranty with 10 free maintenance services.

In addition, the company entitles buyers of the Equus and Rohens to high value retention.

It promises to buy back used Equus or Rohens models within a year at up to 80 percent of their original price. At between one to two years of ownership, the buyback price can reach 65 percent.

An extended warranty and high value retention are not unusual in the segment in which the Equus competes, but they are "beyond customers' expectations" in the market segment for Rohens, a car that sells for between 300,000 yuan and 600,000 yuan in China, according to the company.

Owners of Rohens (left) and Equus (right) - the automaker's top-of-the-line models - are offered Hyundai Premium Assurance services. [Photo / China Daily]