| Hyundai USA
Hyundai refers to a group of companies and related organizations grown from a construction company founded in 1947 by Chung Ju-yung in South Korea. Hyundai Motor Company was later established in 1967. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was released in cooperation with Ford Motor Company in 1968. In 1975, the Pony was released as South Korea's first car, with styling by ItalDesign and the powertrain provided by Japan's Mitsubishi Motors. In 1986, Hyundai began to export cars to the United States, and the Excel was nominated "Best Product #10" by Fortune magazine, for its affordability. Hyundai Motor Company began to produce models using its own technology in 1988, beginning with the midsize Sonata. The Hyundai Group eventually became South Korea's largest conglomerate company. The Hyundai Group was restructured following the 1997 East Asian financial crisis as well as the founder's death in 2001. Today, many different companies use the Hyundai name that are legally unrelated. The most well-known organization bearing the Hyundai name is the Hyundai Motor Company (the world's 6th largest automaker in 2007). On April 28, 2006, the head of Hyundai Motor Company, Chung Mong Koo, was arrested and charged for embezzlement of 100 billion won ($106 million USD). Hyundai Vice Chairman and CEO, Kim Dong-jin, took over as the head of the company. Hyundai Motor Company has increased its warranty significantly to become an extremely recognized mark and has established Hyundai USA which has invested heavily into American plants, facilities and testing grounds.
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/
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