Hyundai boss calls new brands “a big risk”, Toyota and Mazda “in big trouble”

Hyundai Motor Firm Australia (HMCA) chief govt officer Don Romano can also most effective have been in living of business for seven weeks – however the Canadian-born with 40 years within the automobile alternate is establishing a recognition for straight talk in phrases of rival brands.

Romano is the major non-Korean to be appointed CEO at HMCA. Previously chief govt of Hyundai Canada, Romano used to be hand-picked by worldwide Hyundai president Jose Munoz to attend for 3 years in Australia.

Top of Romano’s list is reversing HMCA’s leisurely sales decline from over 100,000 annual sales to spherical 75,000 – and his priorities are inserting launch plans in motion for a twin-cab ute, constructing vendor self belief, and spending more to market why Australians can also light aquire a Hyundai.

Australian contemporary automobile patrons are if truth be told smartly-conversant in an onslaught of up to the moment objects from contemporary and irregular brands – heaps of them from China, and most of which undercut legacy manufacturers like Hyundai on worth.

In a huge-ranging interview with Chasing Autos, Romano dispensed with the premise that Hyundai will likely be ready to reduce prices to undercut Chinese autos in Australia and published that he shall be backing within the South Korean producer’s recognition for quality and certainty.

New brands “a huge risk” as many gained’t remaining, Romano claims

In the context of the launch of the Hyundai Inster limited electrical SUV, which retails for $39,000 plus on-boulevard expenses in Australia when the bigger and more extremely effective MG4 hatch is generally equipped for $35,000 driveaway, we requested Romano – why tell more on a Hyundai?

“Why? Because it’s the peace of mind that we’re going to be there,” Romano acknowledged, sooner than pointing to terminate parallels to the early 20^th century.

“All these brands aren’t going so that you just can succeed. There used to be a proliferation of vehicle brands within the US when the alternate first started. Names like Plymouth and Pontiac no longer exist. I’m in a position to guarantee that every one these brands you gape, they don’t appear to be all going to remaining.

“That represents a huge risk (to the patron),” Romano acknowledged. “Who goes to be there when the auto breaks down? What is it going to be worth? With Hyundai, you know. We’re the fourth-largest producer on this planet and…we’re going to be there within the long hunch.”

Toyota and Mazda are “in effort” below NVES emissions licensed pointers

Sooner than joining Hyundai Canada in January 2014, Romano worked at Mazda – where he used to be instrumental in that Japanese tag’s smartly-identified ‘Zoom-Zoom’ advertising campaign as US chief advertising officer. The Canadian has furthermore been an govt at Nissan.

The 40-300 and sixty five days light of legacy manufacturers has a solid deem about about how Australia’s two most effective-selling carmakers will fare below Australia’s New Automobile Emissions In style (NVES) licensed pointers – and the prognosis is rarely any longer correct.

Romano thinks Hyundai has an correct shot at weathering life below the spectre of NVES and his eyes are verbalize on Toyota.

“My design is to peep forward thru the windshield, no longer the rearview replicate. I peep at Toyota. I spent an correct segment of my life with Mazda. They’re furthermore forward of us. Nonetheless each and every of them are in effort with the NVES.

“Unless (the NVES) adjustments, there are going to be some adjustments within the market. I don’t must be one of the well-known adjustments that’s on the imperfect side. I deem we can pause on the right kind side.”

NVES licensed pointers have been offered by the Albanese Labor govt which used to be re-elected this month, firming expectations amongst senior carmaker executives (alongside side Romano) that the policy will dwell in living and can also light no longer be watered down extra.

NVES penalises carmakers that promote too many excessive-CO2 autos in a given 300 and sixty five days – but penalties might well perchance perchance furthermore be fully offset if a producer sells satisfactory low-emission autos goal like EVs, PHEVs, and complete hybrids.

Romano used to be animated to remind Chasing Autos that Hyundai is number-two for sales of hybrid autos in Australia – within the abet of Toyota – and that it furthermore sells a if truth be told intensive series of fat EVs within the neighborhood, where Toyota is struggling globally.

“(Hyundai Australia) is on the total one of the well-known higher-shaped companies in phrases of NVES compliance. That’s no longer to disclose we’re in big form—no company is until you most effective develop EVs—but we’re in a living that now we have some of essentially the most effective form,” Romano told media.

Key lieutenant Andrew Tuitahi, HMCA director of promoting and product, confirmed that “this 300 and sixty five days, (Hyundai is) attempting correct” for warding off a penalty below NVES. 2025 limits are 141g/km for autos and SUVs and 210g/km for light business autos (alongside side most utes).

Hyundai does no longer for the time being have a ute dragging up its ‘fast common’ CO2 emissions within the formulation most other mainstream manufacturers produce—one thing that hinders Hyundai’s total sales volume but affords it big help in assembly the NVES CO2 limits.

Romano plans to solidify plans to launch a Hyundai twin-cab ute in Australia for the duration of his tenure, seeing it as pivotal to sales success within the neighborhood, but he’s pushing for that ute to be a hybrid or PHEV so that it does no longer negatively make contributions to the Korean tag’s NVES accounting.

Quality and certainty fee more, consistent with Hyundai

As Hyundai prepares to dispute that this might well perchance undertake a long seven 300 and sixty five days, limitless kilometre guarantee in Australia, the South Korean producer maintains its most costly range ever in easy greenback phrases—and Australian sales have dropped from 102,004 in 2025 to 77,432 in 2024.

Below old leaders, HMCA concentrated less on outright sales volume, and more on a lengthy-term venture emigrate possibilities to dearer (and winning) excessive-sexy variants and N objects, while decreasing reliance on lower-margin fast and rental sales.

That migration did happen, with prime-tier Hyundai variants and efficiency trims now accounting for a wholesome share of sales, however the if truth be told intensive 25 percent tumble in annual deliveries in lower than a decade caught the eye of senior leaders in Korea.

Romano, an ally of worldwide president Munoz, has been despatched with the teach instruction to, in his words, “quit the decline—no longer to switch honest up to 100,000, but to originate rising but again.”

“We’re Australia, globally, as a produce of incubator for what happens when 70 different brands converge on one country and the way (Hyundai) handles itself. That might well perchance perchance be a dispute.

“The contemporary entries—some of them will succeed, some of them will fail. I deem one of the well-known mature OEMs will succeed and some will fail. My design is to maintain (Hyundai) on the success side of the equation. To me meaning development, but no longer fast development.”

Romano told Chasing Autos that affirming fast, excessive-quality ingredients distribution, customer care and guarantee toughen expenses money: “there is a top class that contains that,” he acknowledged.