Hyundai UK said: “Hyundai is a young, innovative and progressive brand which has transformed with great speed. We are proudly Korean with real character and purpose. The year 2023 is the perfect time for us to properly reflect this in the UK, with a wealth of exciting new products to be launched, including the incredible new Ioniq 6.
“With this campaign, we want to inject a little humour and personality to our brand which we hope will encourage more people to learn more about Hyundai.”
It won’t be easy to change decades of customer habit. We predict a period of confusion — a theme riffed on in the advert, which sees people Googling the wrong thing with the old pronunciation.
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Hyun-what?
WATCH | New advert clarifies pronunciation of Hyundai name
Americans pronounce it ‘Hyun-day’ while in South Africa it's usually called 'Hoon-dai'
Image: Supplied
The pronunciation of car brand names remains a challenge not only for South Africans. Hyundai is among the names butchered and pronounced differently depending on where you are in the world.
Americans pronounce it “Hyun-day” and in South Africa it's usually “Hun-dai”. Perhaps this new advert will settle it once and for all.
The company has launched a major rebranding campaign for the UK market which seeks to correct this faux pas.
The advert says: “If you thought you knew our cars and how to say our name, maybe it’s time to think again.”
Hyundai UK said: “Hyundai is a young, innovative and progressive brand which has transformed with great speed. We are proudly Korean with real character and purpose. The year 2023 is the perfect time for us to properly reflect this in the UK, with a wealth of exciting new products to be launched, including the incredible new Ioniq 6.
“With this campaign, we want to inject a little humour and personality to our brand which we hope will encourage more people to learn more about Hyundai.”
It won’t be easy to change decades of customer habit. We predict a period of confusion — a theme riffed on in the advert, which sees people Googling the wrong thing with the old pronunciation.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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