Here's the story behind the second video (translated to English):
VW chairman Martin Winterkorn recently visited Hyundai's booth at the Frankfurt auto show and was captured on video while getting increasingly aggravated over certain features in the new i30 model.
Apparently, the Hyundai i30, which competes with VW's Golf model, has a very solid steering wheel adjuster, which prompted Winterkorn to state "It doesn't rattle".
Of course, that wasn't just a statement; it was a complaint that needed an explanation from his staff. He called for Klaus Bischoff, in charge of automotive design at VW, and told him: "BMW can't do it. We can't do it. It doesn't rattle!"
Bischoff, caught on the wrong foot, carefully replies that VW had a solution for the rattling steering wheel adjuster, but it wasn't used in production as it was too expensive. Winterkorn, now visibly upset, shot back: "So why can they do it!" There was no answer.
VW did not stop there. Winterkorn is even shown taking measurements of the i30's interior.
intrade,
Sep 14, 5:56pm
hyundai got better ever since they stopped fitting cloned mitsu$hitty engines to there vehicles
nzdoug,
Sep 14, 6:39pm
Ahhh, The JAZZ FAN CLUB is now in session. The answer is buy them, VW is doing a lot of that.
serf407,
Sep 14, 7:10pm
It will be a topsy-turvy world. Koreans designing BMWs, GMs etc, and Europeans etc designing Hyundai.
Lol you will now be labelled a 'troll' or he will just avoid this thread.
ema1,
Sep 15, 12:13am
Did you see the number of views the Hyundai i30 youtube clip has had , over 1.7 million when I looked.very interesting. Bet ya that VW's chairman was "pinching" ideas there me thinks. Another interesting thing .I have noticed Suzuki's get bagged a bit by our resident Euro fanatic .Suzuki are actually in partnership with VW. as in VW own's (not sure the %) of Suzuki .interesting. Some eating of humble pie could be in order I reckon!
ema1,
Sep 15, 12:21am
Did you see the number of views the Hyundai i30 youtube clip has had over 1.7 million when I looked.very interesting. Bet ya that VW's chairman was "pinching" ideas there me thinks. Another thing has come to light .Suzuki is seeking "Divorce" from VW as the partnership of 20 or so months has crumbled dramatically!Check it here http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-12/suzuki-executives-to-discuss-ending-capital-alliance-with-volkswagen.html The above link has a lot of intrigue in there for sure, lots of hands across the Asian/European automakers isn't there.
It seems they owned shares in each other actually and Suzuki have got wise!
utwo,
Sep 15, 6:45pm
I also noticed in the Hyundai video the word "luxury" was uttered several times. Also notice at the end of the video, one of the other guys from VW discretely uses his finger to check the panel gap across the leading edge of the bonnet. What has the world come to, when the German automakers feel threatened by the Koreans!
ralphdog1,
Sep 15, 8:17pm
Nearly 2 &1/2 hours and Jazz has not lit up the keyboard, I think he is not well at the moment, but am starting to really worry.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 15, 8:37pm
I have no idea yet how the Hyundai compares in person. The old one was a complete joke, they wanted VW Golf money for one of the most over hyped yet horribly out of date low technology cars money could buy. It wasn't so bad in other countries but here they exploited our isolated and un-savy market with simply absurd pricing.
I am not surprised at the video. Hyundai themselves admitted publicly that the old I30 was not even close to being a competitor to the Golf. Basically the design brief for the new model was to turn that around and actually offer something that could be considered a fair competitor.
Have they achieved that!
Maybe, I am yet to even sit in a new I30 so I can't tell you. If they have and the product proves reliable then good for them, everyone deserves a fair go. The more decent cars on the road the better.
My issue with Hyundai is simply that the old models here were absurdly over priced. Their old vans in particular were a complete joke, high service requirements, thirsty and known for expensive failures at low mileage. Yet the non thinkers dragged their knuckles out to pay VW transporter money for them!
However, I have an open mind. If times have changed and the new product is good then good luck to them. I will reserve my personal judgement for a while though. If its any good this would be their first properly good model and I would want to see some with high km's before they earned my trust.
fordcrzy,
Sep 15, 8:37pm
dont worry. He is just still typing.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 15, 8:51pm
Oh and with regard to the Punto.
While its possible the assembly plant location has something to do with the reliability survey, I doubt it.
The 500 is much the same mechanically and electronically as the Punto. I would say the reasons for the difference in their survey is mostly psychological and partly due to the different demographic.
Their survey is not just numbers as far as I am aware its user submitted. When you look at the numbers the Punto is plenty acceptable reliability wise.
However, the Fiat dealer network is known for being absolutely horrible in terms of service in the U.K couple that with the sort of person who buys the Punto and its rather different to operate dualogic transmission. I can see the Toyota Vitz type demographic who buy them getting into a flap over quite little things.
The 500 on the other hand is a car people tend to fall in love with and becomes part of who they are. That enthusiast style demographic is likely to be much more forgiving of any minor problems and possibly even engages the service agent in a different manor.
While not quite the same thing, its a bit like me. If I get a warning light in my Alfa because the battery is getting a bit tired, I am not going to flap my arms in the air and get worked up about it. Others would though, they would assume the worst and get worked up into a big stink, that's if they even bought one in the first place which they were more likely too scared to.
Happy trolling everyone.
ralphdog1,
Sep 15, 10:07pm
Phew! The world is back on a balanced axis.
sw20,
Sep 16, 4:47am
When are you going into politics! Because you have top class spin down to an art. You could almost get me to vote Green by the way you can interpret statistics and spin them out.
fordkiwi27,
Sep 16, 4:58am
vote green! jeez thats pushin it!
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