Hyundai Australia is preparing to introduce a longer seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty across its local lineup.
CarExpert understands the Korean manufacturer is aiming to increase the warranty period from five to seven years from July 1 this year, with the changes backdated to January 1.
All models will be covered by the new warranty, which is a base coverage period free of extension conditions.
The introduction of a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty brings Hyundai in line with sister brand Kia, as well as competitors Chery and Skoda.
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Hyundai’s new warranty still falls short of the decade-long coverage offered by Nissan, Mitsubishi, and MG. However, Nissan and Mitsubishi require that owners service their vehicles within the dealer network to take advantage of the full 10-year period, while the MG warranty is capped at 250,000 kilometres.
Changes to Hyundai’s aftersales program serve as a defence mechanism against the onslaught of new, value-focused manufacturers entering the market, according to new HMCA CEO, Don Romano told CarExpert.
“My preference is to have a base warranty that’s longer and more competitive than some of the brands that have done extensions,” said Mr Romano.
“The most important thing I can do in my three years is to move the brand forward, to future-proof the brand as much as possible against all these new entries that are coming in.”
Hyundai and Mazda are the only two brands in Australia to offer lifetime capped-price servicing across their model ranges, while Hyundai also promises service-activated roadside assistance for the lifetime of a vehicle.
Nissan stole the title of offering Australia’s longest new-car warranty back in February, while MG introduced its standard 10-year/250,000km warranty last year, but only for private buyers and not customers that use their vehicles for commercial purposes, who receive a seven-year/160,000km warranty instead.
MORE: Everything Hyundai
