Hyundai wins 2011 EuroCarBody Golden Award with i40

• Hyundai becomes first Asian car manufacturer to be awarded top prize
• 500 leading industry experts cast their votes for the winner
• Advanced crash-absorbing structure praised for its innovative construction

Offenbach, 24th October 2011

The Hyundai i40 has received the prestigious Golden Award at this year’s EuroCarBody Conference, held near Frankfurt, Germany, beating nine of Europe’s & Japan’s largest automakers to the prize.

Hyundai collected the top prize – considered the highest accolade in the industry – at the first time of asking, having never previously entered the contest.

Hosted by Automotive Circle International – an organization consisting of top automotive suppliers and manufacturers – the EuroCarBody awards were judged by over 500 attending delegates, including industry experts from across the world.

The judges praised the comprehensive engineering and effective development of materials, as well as the production efficiency of the i40 which scored 37.98 out of a maximum 50 points. The closest competitor and second-placed car, the Audi A6, scored 35.86, with the Mercedes B-Class in third place achieving 34.66, giving Hyundai a clear victory.

Hyundai’s use of high-strength steel and improved joins in the structure mean that the i40’s lightweight body has high energy absorption efficiency which provides increased safety to occupants in the event of an accident – characteristics recognised by the judging panel.

The competitors in the contest came from Audi, BMW, Ford, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Opel, Land Rover and Volkswagen.

Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai MotorEurope, commented, “Winning the EuroCarBody Golden Award demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest levels of safety for Hyundai customers. The i40 was recently awarded a maximum five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test, and this latest award is further independent evidence that our technology is market-leading. We will continue our efforts for ever-better technology to protect passengers and improve all aspects of vehicle performance.”

Available in wagon and – from the end of the year – sedan body styles, the all-new i40 was designed and engineered inEurope, specifically for the European market. Hyundai’s comprehensive Five Year Triple Care package provides European i40 buyers with the ultimate peace of mind, comprising a five-year unlimited warranty, five years’ roadside assistance, and five years of vehicle health checks.

Recently i40 was rated in the lowest insurance grouping for a D-segment car in theUK, thanks to its innovative body structure.

For further information contact:

Stefan Ph. Henrich

Phone: +49-69-271472-401

Fax : +49-69-271472-229

sphenrich@hyundai-europe.com

About Hyundai Motor Company

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Co. has grown into the Hyundai Motor Group which has ranked as the world’s fifth-largest automaker since 2007 and includes more than two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates. Hyundai Motor, which has six manufacturing bases outside ofSouth Korea, sold approximately 3.6 million vehicles globally in 2010. Hyundai vehicles are sold in 186 countries through some 5,300 dealerships and showrooms.

About Hyundai Motor Europe

In 2010, Hyundai achieved record sales inEuropeof 362.000 units, taking a best-ever 2,6% market share.  In May 2011, Hyundai achieved a landmark, passing 5.000.000 sales inEuropesince imports began in 1977.  The company designs, engineers and manufactures cars inEurope, specifically for European customers.  This includes the i30, which performed as Hyundai’s top-selling model in 2010, with 120.000 units sold.  Hyundai sells cars in 28 European countries across 2.500 outlets.

Further information about Hyundai Motor and its products is available at www.hyundai.com.

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