Hyundai rocks auto industry by providing Liftetime Battery Replacement on Sonata Hybrid

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Hyundai has dropped a bit of a curveball on the auto industry today, because it announced that its Sonata Hybrid will come with a Lifetime Battery Replacement Guarantee. This is a first guarantee of this kind and could potentially have big implications.

The Hyundai Lifetime Battery Guarantee adds to what is known as Hyundai Assurance, which covers the powetrain for 100,000 miles or more. (This is the best warranty of it's kind in the industry.) The coverage will apply to all 2012 model year Sonata Hybrid models over the life expectancy of the vehicle. As well it will extend for thousands of miles beyond the average duration of normal car ownership. So if the Sonata Hybrid lithium polymer battery technology fails, Hyundai will replace the battery and cover recycling costs for the old one free of charge to a Sonata owner. Sounds pretty sweet to me!

Hyundai tested the Sonata Hybrid and its Blue Drive hybrid drivetrain for more than 300,000 miles. The testing showed that there was minimal degradation of its output or duration of operation. Owners of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid can buy it with confidence it will last and if the battery fails, replacement is covered.

“The Hyundai brand was built on outstanding quality backed by the industry’s best protection program which we call Hyundai Assurance,” said Michael O’Brien, vice president, Corporate and Product Planning. “Expanding Hyundai Assurance to include Lifetime Battery Replacement Guarantee was another opportunity for us to demonstrate our confidence in the durability of our product, and pass that peace-of-mind on to our owners.”

Hyundai also rocked the industry today by winning North American Car of the Year. This was a bit of an upset to Ford, because it was beaten on its home turf, Detroit. Hyundai seems to be on a role with amazing sales in 2011 and this year most likely will be no different.

Hyundai’s breakthrough Hybrid Blue Drive technology features a remarkable lithium polymer batter pack. Hyundai is the first to use this extremely efficient technology on production vehicle. Automotive duty cycles have temperature ranges that can swing from -40 to 120+ degrees Fahrenheit, and 10-year-and-beyond longevity requirements render the lithium ion batteries used in consumer devices unsuitable. Lithium polymer is considered the next generation of lithium ion technology and is ideally suited to vehicles, like hybrids, thanks to the special and reliable chemistry.

I bet Hyundai will have strong Hybrid sales in 2012.

Please contact Adam Yamada-Hanff – adamsautoadvice@gmail.com – for comments, questions, or topics. You can also follow him on Twitter @AdamsAutoAdvice

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I would absolutely buy a Hyundai Hybrid over any other manufacturer because of this new warranty! What an awesome precedence to set now to see if any other manufacturer dares to follow. This totally eliminates the old stigma that Hybrids have..."wow, it's going to be expensive to replace the batteries when the time comes". No more worries about that ONLY if you buy a Hyundai.