Automotive Fleet, August 2018
POISED TO COMPETE AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I AUGUST 2018 38 Hyundais fleet business has made strides in the past eight years One of the factors that has fueled this growth has been the rise of the SUV segment BY TARIQ KAMAL Richard Pipenhagen senior manager of commercial and corporate sales for Fountain Valley Calif based Hyundai Motor America HMA is well aware of the reputation his brand earned when it first entered the U S market in the mid 1980s The South Korea built cars didnt quite live up to the hype surrounding their initial debut he said but all that has markedly changed in the decades since Today Pipenhagen wants more companies to enthusiastically consider Hyundais world class sedans CUVs and SUVs For fleet managers who are stuck in a vehicular rut but are willing to think outside the box he believes Hyundai offers a compelling story New Kid on the Block Pipenhagen departed Toyota Financial Services in 2010 and embraced the challenge of building HMAs commercial and corporate sales division from scratch Having invested in such key components as a dedicated website competitive incentives and a seasoned field and operations team Hyundais fleet division has evolved into a viable and enterprising entity When the organization initially thought of commercial sales they thought contractual sales like a rental company Theyre going to routinely order thousands upon thousands of vehicles in a model year They believed commercial sales worked much the same way he said To their surprise there is no similar type of contract We strive to make our way on a company selector and hope for a lot of interest from eligible drivers So far so good Our business model provides incremental growth units that HMA would otherwise not enjoy Pipenhagen and his team of sales and customer service experts have tallied more than 900 FIN codes and 40000 plus deliveries over the course of the last eight years The fleet division is on track for record 10000 sales by years end an impressive growth cycle for a business that didnt exist less than a decade ago But Pipenhagen is not satisfied He believes Hyundai Commercial Sales has much more expansion opportunity Believe it or not with a few folks out there we are still trying to overcome that 1986 stigma that Hyundai is a subordinate brand in some circles he said It is far less of an issue today but were kind of the HYUNDAI FLEET AT A GLANCE Hyundai Motor Americas director of commercial and corporate sales Richard Pipenhagen wants fleet managers to know his product lineup Offers a lineup of safe comfortable and attractive sedans crossovers and SUVs Packs a long list of creature comforts and new technologies into every vehicle Backs its offerings with a comprehensive factory warranty and excellent customer service PIPENHAGEN Hyundai Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley Calif The company first entered the U S market in the mid 1980 s
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