Image Gallery

Getz and Accent topped the 20-strong small car field including Toyota Echo, Holden Barina, Honda Jazz, Mazda2, Renault Clio, Peugeot 206 and VW Polo in the industry's most rigorous and credible car award regime.

Both Hyundais polled consistently highly in almost all 19 criteria across value-for-money, design and function and on-road dynamics. Getz won lowest Running & Repair Costs and both topped Warranty with Hyunda's industry-best five-year/130,000km assurance.

Both also scored near top marks for Depreciation Cost - evidence of strong resale values, Security, Space, Ergonomics and Ride refinement. Getz similarly scored in Practicality - its split tumble fold-forward rear seat and flat load floor underneath a factor, as did Accent in Performance with its lusty 1.6 litre engine and sporty gearing.

The awards are judged by the road test experts in the nation's most authoritative, consumer-focused automotive voice - all seven state and territory road service motoring clubs, the NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RACWA, RAASA, RACT and the AANT.

The clubs, which have a combined membership of 6.3 million motorists - more than a quarter of Australia's total population - voted Getz and Accent ahead of all other new small cars currently offered on the Australian market in 2003, not just newcomers released in the last 12 months.

Australia's Best Cars chief judge Ernest Litera said that Getz was rated Best Small Car because it best showed that a benchmark entry level car is more than just an affordable price and demonstrates excellence in many areas.

¡°Getz polled strongly across all three major criteria areas of Design & Function, On-The-Road and particularly in this class Value For Money©¤the latter reflecting the critical importance to small car buyers of pricing, warranty and running and repair costs, plus safety, security and ergonomics, Mr Litera said.

The winning Getz model is the 1.5 litre GL three-door, priced from a recommended $13,990 while the runner-up Accent is the 1.6 litre three-door from $14,990.

"Three Best Small Car Awards in four years affirms Hyundai's competitiveness and maturity as a car brand and the excellence and integrity of its car design and engineering skills",said Hyundai Motor Co Australia CEO, Mr B.G.Lee.

"The amenity upgrades and recently sharpened pricing of the new series Getz and Accent have positioned them as the pick of the small car pack - and the Best Car judges agree", Mr Lee added.

Recent standard feature upgrades now see both Getz and Accent with air-conditioning, dual front airbags, power mirrors and windows (with driver's one-touch glass lowering), central locking (remote with alarm on Accent), driver's seat cushion tilt and height adjustment and body-colour door handles and mirror scalps.

Getz gongs

Getz was recently rated the most economical car to own and operate of the most popular 45 or so model vehicles in the three most populous states - NSW by the NRMA, in Victoria by the RACV and in Queensland by the RACQ.

Getz is also rated "Best Budget Car of 2003" by UK's "What Car ?" magazine, Denmark's Bilpriser.dk 's nominates Getz as its "Best Seller of 2003" - an accolade reflecting excellence beyond sales figures and Germany's Auto Bild labels Getz as ¡®Hyundai's VW Polo".

Year-to-date, Hyundai has sold nearly 143,000 Getz globally, with around 65 percent of exports going to Europe. Around 12,760 Getz have been sold in Australia since its September 2002 launch. In those 16 months, Getz has been Hyundai's top local seller nine times with Elantra taking the brand's sales crown in the other seven months.

Exhaustive criteria

With their history of road service going back to early last century and more recently their advocacy of an increasing breadth of motorists - issues, the motoring clubs are uniquely qualified to apply their collective and objective wisdom to choosing which cars are best in class for all motorists.

The judges - exhaustive set of 19 criteria is weighted differently by class to reflect the differing buyer priorities of the various car types.

In the Small Car class, value of money was weighted as the most important criteria, affirming Hyundai¡¯s long held reputation as the benchmark brand in this crucial area.

All the obvious areas like quality, price, room, performance, dynamics, features, economy, safety and fulfillment of design intent were compared.

Also rated were important but often glossed over areas where the clubs are particularly expert, like running and overall ownership costs, insurances, warranty, retained value, low speed impact repairability, safe child seating, theft protection and crash performance.

For further information contact:
Richard Power, General Manager; Public Relations
Hyundai Motor Co Australia Pty Ltd
Phone: 02-9763-3670
Mobile: 0401 990 194
Fax: 02-9763-3433
email: richard_power@hyundai.com.au
Web: www.hyundai.com.au
www.hyundai-motor.com

Theo van Doore: Hyundai Motor Co Australia: Director of Sales & Marketing
Award acceptance response speech:
Getz winning - Best Small Car 2003 at Australia's Best Car Awards 2003 national presentation
Wednesday, December 3, 2003, 12.15 2.30pm, Adelaide Entertainment Centre

On behalf of Hyundai Motor Company Australia, I am very pleased to accept this most prestigious award, recognizing the Hyundai Getz as Australia's Best Small Car in 2003.

This is a very big accolade for Getz, because it scored consistently across the criteria, not just in value-for-money, and outranked at least 3 all-new designs in this already crowded class.

I also note Accent finished second in the class, as it did last year, following its winning the class in 2000 and 2001.

In all, this is a very nice Christmas present for Australia's newest car company.

I can assure you, we will play with it a lot !

Hyundai places great significance on winning an Australia's Best Car Award.

Your test regime is objective and thorough. It includes not only the obvious elements of a car, but also the many less sexy but real issues of motoring and car ownership.

Our research shows that the credibility of the ABC awards far outstrips any other car-of-the-year type awards.

To win this third time underlines Hyundai's brand integrity, and will inspire all of our people, from the admin backrooms to our dealer sales front line.

I commend all the motoring clubs including our hosts the RAA here today, for establishing the Australia's Best Car Awards as the benchmark new car buyers- reference. Thank you.