japanese cars rule DR

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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a bit of statistics in el caribe today.

71.5% of all vehicles registered in DR are japanese with toyota and honda being absolute leaders (35.8% and 16.5% of all automobiles respectively).
after japan, european brands are the second most popular at 10.8% with VW and mercedes-benz topping that list.

details can be found here:
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/07/10/715-los-autos-circulan-son-japoneses

the data refers to 2016 DGII study "parque vehicular de RD". i believe this data is publish yearly.
 
Jan 9, 2004
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Although relatively new to the DR, I would have thought that Hyundai/Kia would have had larger percentages. Those brands seem to be everywhere too....especially Hyundai.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 

Robert

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Although relatively new to the DR, I would have thought that Hyundai/Kia would have had larger percentages. Those brands seem to be everywhere too....especially Hyundai.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

The Korean brands are the fastest growing group in the DR and have been the past 6 years.
These numbers represent total vehicles circulating, Japanese have been selling into the DR for years.
 
Jan 9, 2004
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The Korean brands are the fastest growing group in the DR and have been the past 6 years.
These numbers represent total vehicles circulating, Japanese have been selling into the DR for years.

So far, their marketing strategy has been wildly successful. To take on the Japanese in an entrenched market like the DR....and to succeed to the degree they have in such a short period of time, is nothing short of brilliant.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 

dv8

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yes, the article mentions that korean brands are the fastest growing. in the first 20 days of this year 774 korean cars entered DR in comparison to 228 japanese cars.

as robert said, the numbers quoted by DGII are the total of all vehicles registered in DR, korean influx is still fairly recent.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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The numbers are skewed by the incredibly vast numbers of 1991 Toyota Corollas and Nissan Sentras still on the roads.

Hyundai and Kia will eventually take over, unless South Korea is destroyed by North Korea.
 

USA DOC

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..almost all the uber drivers in santiago are driving hyundai Sonatas... but then again almost all the conchos are old Toyota corollas, some from the late 70s... as for what is selling now in the DR, and in the future.. it will be driven by the cost of the vehicle..
 

beeza

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The Koreans are so confident in their products that they offer amazing warranties with their vehicles. That doesn't seem to be the game changer for the DR market. It is the residual value. Toyotas and Hondas maintain their values really well. It will take a while for the Dominican market to accept Korean vehicles in the same vein.
 

windeguy

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The Koreans are so confident in their products that they offer amazing warranties with their vehicles. That doesn't seem to be the game changer for the DR market. It is the residual value. Toyotas and Hondas maintain their values really well. It will take a while for the Dominican market to accept Korean vehicles in the same vein.

The reason it is not a game changer in the DR is that those warranties are not given on Korean cars like they are in the US. So, they are not even in that game here.
 
Apr 7, 2014
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The Koreans are so confident in their products that they offer amazing warranties with their vehicles. That doesn't seem to be the game changer for the DR market. It is the residual value. Toyotas and Hondas maintain their values really well. It will take a while for the Dominican market to accept Korean vehicles in the same vein.
The warranty isnt because they arw confident in their vehicles. The warranty is because the cars hav NO resale value and are of questionable quality. The warranty(only for North American units) is a bribe to entice the buyer to get that car. Toyota has a base 36month/36,000 mile warranty. If you want longer you have to buy it.
Also, Hyundai has a resale guarantee(US only) on the higher end models. They will guarantee the resale value of the car IF......you use that balance to apply to the purchase of a new Hyundai. No one who has a good market reputation would do that.

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Apr 7, 2014
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The Korean brands are the fastest growing group in the DR and have been the past 6 years.
These numbers represent total vehicles circulating, Japanese have been selling into the DR for years.
The thing is they enter the market as the best value because they are offering you the youngest(newest) car at the lowest price. So for those with means it is a super deal. Hyundai has the largest automobile assembly plant in the world in what I believe is Ursan, S.Korea. The kind of capacity they can deliver cars for the world market means developing country can now have cars 1-2 model years old as opposed to waiting for depreciation of 4-5 year old Japanese and German models. Also many of the "high end" Korean cars, mainly the Kia K9(00) were a flop in the US because the brand doesnt have the public perception equal to the fullsize sedans like the Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima and Ford Taurus for the price they set. And those cars got dumped in DR and other new markets.

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Jan 9, 2004
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The thing is they enter the market as the best value because they are offering you the youngest(newest) car at the lowest price. So for those with means it is a super deal. Hyundai has the largest automobile assembly plant in the world in what I believe is Ursan, S.Korea. The kind of capacity they can deliver cars for the world market means developing country can now have cars 1-2 model years old as opposed to waiting for depreciation of 4-5 year old Japanese and German models. Also many of the "high end" Korean cars, mainly the Kia K9(00) were a flop in the US because the brand doesnt have the public perception equal to the fullsize sedans like the Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima and Ford Taurus for the price they set. And those cars got dumped in DR and other new markets.

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Kia 9(00) is not readily available through KIA in the DR. The only way to acquire one there is to ship it in from a dealer elsewhere.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 
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Kia 9(00) is not readily available through KIA in the DR. The only way to acquire one there is to ship it in from a dealer elsewhere.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
Its here. I see alot of them. I noticed it because NO ONE has one in the US...also because in the US their logo is KIA in a black Ford style oval, but alot of these K9s have a stylized K in a black oval, which is not on any US car. Maybe they come directly from Korea? I notice an absence of Kia SUVs here.

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Fernandez

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Hyundai in the DR is successful in large part due to the Lama family and Avelino Rodriguez. They have invested heavily in the brand, have promoted it well, have provided excellent service, and are a young, aggressive and professional team geared towards success. The cars are good, and are matched with a distribution and representation that makes it that much better.
 

Fulano2

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I think the thing that damage their good reputation, (they are quality I have heard) is the import of all the used Kia's and Hyundais, ex taxi's with hundreds of thousands miles but sold as almost new.
 

USA DOC

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I think the thing that damage their good reputation, (they are quality I have heard) is the import of all the used Kia's and Hyundais, ex taxi's with hundreds of thousands miles but sold as almost new.

...yes, do mean the orange ones?...
 
Jan 9, 2004
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Its here. I see alot of them. I noticed it because NO ONE has one in the US...also because in the US their logo is KIA in a black Ford style oval, but alot of these K9s have a stylized K in a black oval, which is not on any US car. Maybe they come directly from Korea? I notice an absence of Kia SUVs here.

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Yes, they are there. My only point is that they are not there because they were sold via a new car dealer, but rather because they were imported separately.

The K 900 sales in the US for 2016 were a whopping 834 units. Hyundai, which now owns the Kia brand has purposefully not distributed the upscale Kia's broadly, as they would, especially in many third world markets, hurt sales of Hyundai's upscale line i.e. the Genesis, Azera, etc. 

Kia has however spent lots of marketing dollars promoting the Picante in third world markets. They are taking a page out of the Japanese playbook by starting out with entry level vehicles and then perhaps going upmarket after their reputation is established.

Further, as part of that marketing strategy they are offering longer warranties to achieve higher sales and build brand loyalty. And, as noted above, the Kia's residual value, car for car, is not yet equal to Hyundai's, which is not yet equal to the major Japanese brands Toyota and Honda......but they are trying.....and as I stated above, Hyundai's, and to a lesser extent Kia's marketing/branding strategy in the DR is nothing short of brilliant.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 
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ExDR

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Although relatively new to the DR, I would have thought that Hyundai/Kia would have had larger percentages. Those brands seem to be everywhere too....especially Hyundai.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

No, I was surprised that they do not want any other vehicles no matter how inexpensive. It has to be Japanese, 4-cylinders,l and must have 4 doors (so it becomes a Concho later. I assume that these cars are the ones that survive the harsh driving conditions, salt air, and don't brake down as much.