Hyundai Mobile to enter UK market
20th January 2009
    
A
familiar name, but on an unfamiliar product. Hyundai
Mobile is perhaps not the first, or indeed second,
Korean mobile phone maker that you can think of. But
along with fellow companies LG and Samsung,
Hyundai hopes to take a slice of the UK mobile market.
The
Hyundai brand is perhaps best known in the UK for cars,
and Hyundai Mobile would probably sooner you think of
the Hyundai
Coupé instead of the 1975 Hyundai
Pony. It might seem strange for a car manufacturer
to make phones, but in fact Hyundai is a chaebol
- a large industrial conglomerate that is involved in
everything from electronics to shipping. It might surprise
you to learn that Samsung are also involved in making
cars, through Renault
Samsung motors.
Perhaps then, the surprise is that it
has taken so long for Hyundai to market phones in the
UK. In fact, Hyundai Mobile are already active in Hungary,
Slovenia, Germany and Austria. And Hyundai have very
aggressive plans for the UK market.
Just as Hyundai cars are appealing because
of the value for money that they offer, Hyundai Mobile
is also pursuing customers who are "price conscious".
Hyundai's current
model range is quite varied. Highlights include
the MB-400 with an iPod-style control pad on
the front, the MB-910 wristwatch phone, the simple-to-use
MB-150, a glossy slider called the MB-500,
the MB-220 which is an unusual clamshell
with an external touchscreen and the dual-SIM MB-D130.
LG want to introduce ten to fifteen new mobile phones
annually, across a wide product range.. we think some
of these will be shown off at next month's Mobile World
Congress.
 Hyundai
MB-150
|
 Hyundai
MB-220
|
 Hyundai
MB-400
|
 Hyundai
MB-500
|
 Hyundai
MB-910
|
 Hyundai
MBD-130
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Currently, the Hyundai range lacks any
3G devices and the maximum camera resolution is just
3 megapixels. But the interesting MB-400 retails for
only about €120 SIM-free in Germany, and the novel MB-910
wristwatch phone is about €200.. so they certainly seem
to offer good value for money.
It is impossible to say if Hyundai can
be successful in the UK market, but a combination of
"different" design and low prices may well
be appealing to British consumers.
Picture credits: Hyundai
Pony, Hyundai
Coupé
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