Hyundai Motor Co. aims at a higher level of quality and value with the recent release of the Genesis Coupe, touted as the automaker’s ‘halo vehicle’. At the launch in Jeju Island, a popular tourist destination in South Korea, Hyundai took the covers off of the Genesis Coupe for members of the Korean and international media. The new Genesis Coupe comes at the heels of the highly acclaimed Genesis sports sedan introduced earlier this year. With its simple, modern and crisp lines, the Genesis Coupe is the exemplification of Hyundai’s design evolution.

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Hyundai has indeed come a long way from being the butt of jokes in its early years in the American market. The fuel-efficient Hyundai Accent was recently named the most dependable sub-compact car by J.D. Power and Associates in its 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). The highly regarded study measures problems experienced by original owners of three-year-old (2005 model year) vehicles.

The study is based on the responses of more than 52,000 owners of new vehicles bought between November 2004 and April 2005. The Accent registered only 187 problems per 1000 cars, an improvement of more than 20% over the 2007 results. The Accent’s scores were boosted by measured improvements in the engine, climate control and seating categories.

This is the highest ranking ever for the Accent, but the honor doesn’t rest solely on the sub-compact car. Hyundai as a brand made dramatic improvements in its overall dependability scores, such as:

The number of problems per 100 vehicles over the entire product lineup dropped 28 points to 200, a 14 percent improvement over 2007, almost tripling the industry average improvement of 10 points.

In the “non-premium” segment, Hyundai improved from 13th place to sixth place.

Hyundai’s score placed it 13th among the 38 nameplates measured in the study and placed it ahead of the industry average for the first time.

Each product in the Hyundai product portfolio improved over last year.

Via The Auto Channel