Hyundai and Toyota (Scion) in coupe price war

[stickshift]

By John O'Dell / Los Angeles Times

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Corp. has long competed in the United States as a low-cost alternative to increasingly pricey Japanese cars. The problem is that mighty Toyota Motor Co.p. is starting to undercut Hyundai on price.

Consider their two rival sport coupes.

Hyundai's youth-oriented model is the Tiburon. But its market share is being threatened by a new offering from Toyota's hot-selling Scion brand. Auto reviewers have been raving about the 2005 Scion tC as a bargain that is also fun to drive.

So Hyundai Word of the price war has leaked out in recent days.

Toyota is a master "at manufacturing efficiencies, including maximizing economies of scale by sharing components among models," said Wes Brown of Los Angeles market research company Iceology. "This is a perfect example."

Indeed, even after Hyundai's cut, the Tiburon's new base price of $16,539 remains slightly higher than the $16,490 that Toyota charges for its standard Scion coupe.

Hyundai product planning chief John Krafcik said the company also will offer a cash-back incentive so the Tiburon, which is set to hit dealer showrooms by the end of the month, "very likely will cost less than the Scion."

On the plus side, the Hyundai coupe is roomier than the Scion, and comes with the company's 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Scion's warranty is for three years or 36,000 miles.

But the Scion offers a number of standard features, including anti-lock brakes and 17-inch alloy wheels, that cost extra on the Tiburon. And particularly important to many, the Scion has more power.

Yet the most telling disparityMotor America Inc., the Fountain Valley, Calif.-based import arm, has now slashed the sticker price of its 2005 Tiburon coup by about $1,000 to match the Scion tC.

between the two cars is in their sales: By the end of October, after only four months in the United States, 19,667 tC coupes had sold. That blew past the 17,484 previous Tiburon models purchased since January.

[SPIKE]

Scion is a better buy lol

plus factory SC opt soon

[eyelid]

Yeah but Hyundai is much better looking 8D

[Mad-Machine]

unfortunatly, hyundai can't compete on an image level.. even if the Tib is better looking. Scion is a "hot" brand... but, as the hyundai ads say... "Don't be a sheep"

[TAK82]

another reason why Hyundai Can't just Compete with Low MSRP,
and although the standard feature's on the 03 GK Were Generous,
The tC Has Raised the bar for standard Equipment,

The tC Look's like a Skyline R34 from the front,

[SPIKE]

The TC has been compared to looking like a BMW from the headlamps, and the aftermarket for teh car is almost if not mroe than Hyundai (not bad for a new car) also the other Scion cars have a TON of aftermarket as they exist in Japan so parts are mad crazy there.

Hyundai better pull something soon, Turbo, SC option..something

[TAK82]

Many youth's buy car's for their factory aftermarket performance support,

Like Honda has Mugen and Mitsubishi has Ralliart

Hyundai indeed need's to stop concetrating on Just "Affordable" and need to Go all out with the competition,
The Time to attack the japanese is NOW But Hyundai's still Mum about it and There hasn't been any release date's for the H.A.R.D parts

[SPIKE]

Mugen isn't an officially licensed Honda company, they just make mad shit

[Kamikaze]

And I always tough that the tib was still a better choice... Still the warranty is a concern to many. i guess I prefere the new tc over the tib, the base tib that is. The tib still looks better, but the tc is right behind, the tc doesnt look bad at all.

[endlessmike]

i would buy a scion over a tib anyday, unless it were the rd2.