Kia minus’car’ from the name, and Hyundai Motor Company are confused with’Hyundai Group’

Enter 2021.01.16 07:00

Kia Motors (000270)Changed the name and logo on the 15th and announced a new start. The company name changed 31 years after 1990, and the logo changed 27 years after 1994. In particular, the company name was changed to’Kia’ after removing’Automobile’, meaning that it will be reborn as a comprehensive mobility company, not just a company that makes and sells cars.

As Kia makes major changes to renew its brand image, Hyundai Motor Company (005380)There is also an observation that the company name or logo will be changed. This is because Kia is not alone in changing its logo or company name to keep pace with future mobility. Tesla, a U.S. electric vehicle company, also changed its name the following year by acquiring solar panel maker Solar City and expanding its energy business in 2016, although its initial mission was’Tesla Motors’.

Recently, Hyundai Motor Company is also showing its progress as a comprehensive mobility company, not just an automobile manufacturer. Recently, it acquired the American robot company’Boston Dynamics’. Hyundai Motor Company previously introduced a car that walks with a robotic leg at’CES 2019′, but it seems that it is trying to develop a vehicle that can be manipulated and can move freely in rough terrain through the acquisition of Boston Dynamics.

In addition, Hyundai Motor Company introduced a personal vehicle (PAV) developed with Uber at’CES 2020′. In the future, it has said that the proportion of future mobility will be 50% for automobiles, 30% for personal vehicles, and 20% for robotics. In this situation, there is a talk about whether it is not necessary for Hyundai Motor to limit its mission to’automotive’.

However, in the industry, it is expected that Hyundai Motor will not be able to easily change its name or logo. As for the logo, the’H logo’ currently used by Hyundai Motors is highly recognized both domestically and abroad.

Changing the logo is expensive. The signboards of the company’s offices and agencies must be changed, and the design of business cards, in-house documents, and office supplies must be changed. To attach the emblem to the car, you have to build a new mold. In addition, the backlash from existing customers should be considered. This is because vehicles with the previous logo may look old at an instant.

Some say that Kia changed its logo this time because it was an issue that had been discussed for a long time inside the company. It is said that the previously used logo was in a similar shape to the H logo of Hyundai Motors, so there has been constant controversy. The reason was that it was not desirable to use a similar logo because it is in the same group but is a separate company.

Even if Hyundai Motor Company reviews the company name change, it is likely to be more conservative than changing the logo. This is because’automobile’ has never been omitted from the group name or mission since the establishment of Hyundai Motor Company in 1967. In addition, there is a story that if the car is removed from the mission, there may be a conflict with the Hyundai Group.

Global automakers, except for a small number of companies such as Daimler and Renault, still use words such as Motor and Wagen, so it is expected that Hyundai will not consider changing the company name for the time being.