Hyundai Motor will release "IONIQ 5" (left) and "NEXO" in Japan in May 2022

Korean Hyundai Motor re-enters the Japanese passenger car market. In May 2022, the electric vehicle (EV) "IONIQ5" and the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) "NEXO" are scheduled to be released. Hyundai has decided to make a comeback 13 years after withdrawing from Japan, but what are the prospects for success? [Photo] A lineup specializing in in-car electric vehicles with the theme of a comfortable living space "Living Space" Hyundai was Japan in 2000. Established a corporation, built a dealer network in major cities, and entered the passenger car business. Bae Yong Joon, who starred in the Korean drama "Winter Sonata", which was a big hit in Japan at that time, was appointed as a CM character, and he was also an official sponsor of the 2002 FIFA Japan-Korea World Cup. I put it in, but I didn't increase the sales volume as I expected, and withdrew in 2009. It has been 13 years since the withdrawal. The environment surrounding passenger cars has changed significantly. In the midst of technological innovation expressed by the word "CASE" (connected, automation, sharing, electrification), I saw this as an opportunity and decided to re-challenge the Japanese market. The company name was changed from "Hyundai Motor Japan" at that time to "Hyundai Mobility Japan". Both will be sold by ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) IONIQ5 and NEXO, which do not emit any CO2 while driving. The IONI Q5 is a 5-door hatchback EV with two battery capacities, 58kWh and 72.6kWh. The size of Japanese EV is close to that of Nissan Ariya and Toyota bZ4X. The cruising range is 498-618km (WLTC mode). You can choose between rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive for either capacity. The price ranges from 4.79 million yen to 5.89 million yen. NEXO is an FCV with a feeling of size similar to IONIQ5. Like the Toyota "MIRAI" and Honda "Clarity FCV," it is a type of EV that runs while taking in oxygen from the atmosphere and chemically reacting it with hydrogen in the in-vehicle tank to generate electricity. According to Hyundai, it is possible to drive about 820km (same as above) with one hydrogen filling for 5 minutes. The price is 7,768,000 yen, and the price is conscious of MIRAI's 7.1 million to 8.6 million yen. Both cars are localized to Japanese specifications, such as placing the turn signal lever on the same right side as the domestic car and pre-built a drive recorder that is often installed as an option in Japan these days. Specializing in online sales to reduce entry costs? Both models will be released in May this year, and delivery is scheduled to start in July. Sales are specialized in the online type where specifications are decided and purchased on the website or application. In the future, we will establish a designated repair shop and road service system nationwide. In addition to being able to test drive at the Customer Experience Center that will open in Yokohama in July, you can also test drive using the services of car-sharing operator Anyca. Anyca plans to register both models as official share cars, with 100 IONIQ5s and 20 NEXOs by the end of the year. In addition, a referral program will be developed in which the purchaser recommends a Hyundai car to an acquaintance, and when the person makes a purchase, the introducer also has a privilege. Both IONIQ5 and NEXO are electric vehicles that are in tune with the times, and as far as the design and specifications are concerned, they seem to be highly competitive. The biggest point of Hyundai's re-entry into Japan is probably the online sales system. Introducing this system eliminates the need to build the most costly dealership network in the automotive business. Being able to choose this method should have been one of the major reasons for deciding to re-enter Japan. If you do not build a dealer network, it is easy to decide to withdraw if something goes wrong. Specializing in online may limit purchasers to those who are familiar with digital devices, but online shopping for everyday items is already being used by a wide range of generations. Also, this is just a general theory, but it seems that the older the age group, the more people will decide not to buy Korean products due to the complicated feelings that come from the historical background of Japan and South Korea. Young people (in this case, "young people" include themselves, 49 years old), for example, listen to BTS all over Samsung Galaxy and enjoy watching "Itaewon Class" and "Crash Landing on You". , There is no resistance to Korean brand products and online shopping. If convenience such as inspection and repair is ensured, even a "Korean wave car" may be a hit. However, recent technological innovations in automobiles, such as electrification, are narrowing the differences in automobile performance. Roughly speaking, not only Hyundai cars but also automobiles are becoming more and more uniform, and automobile manufacturers are increasingly required to have intangible power such as recognition and history. In that case, it is expected that it will be extremely difficult to make a car a hit by covering the low recognition and lack of history in Japan caused by the blank for 13 years. The model that appeared at the time of the previous entry also reached the level of Japanese cars at that time, but it was buried because there was no protruding part. In order to prevent the second dance, the performance of Japanese cars "normal" is not enough, and it will be important whether or not they have the outstanding charm unique to Hyundai. Satoshi Shiomi Born in Okayama Prefecture in 1972. After joining the Sanyo Shimbun in 1995, he joined the editorial department of "Best Car" in 2000. He became a member of the editorial department of Nigensha "NAVI" in 2004, and became the editor-in-chief of the magazine in 2009. Since 2011, he has been writing for the web and automobile magazines as a freelance editor / writer.

Satoshi Shiomi