Gas prices are rising and for most/a large portion consumers the current trend is to move towards smaller or hybrid fuel efficient cars. Recently an audit found out that Kia and Hyundai have been found guilty of inflated gas mileage on their advertisements. According to the ctvnews report, the company will be reimbursing the owners of approximately 172,000 vehicles in Canada. The executives have claimed that the inflated numbers are unintentional errors but personally I find that a little hard to believe and the real truth probably lies somewhere closer to unethical marketing in order to sell more cars. These numbers directly affect the customers who purchased the cars having thought that they would save a significant amount of money on gas over the years but at the same time these numbers may also indirectly have an effect on other brands such as Nissan, GM, Ford, Toyota, and Honda just to name a few. For example, since this has been uncovered many users of cars will start to question if their own cars have accurately reported gas mileage numbers.
In the world we live in now where everything can be audited to some extent, having accurate numbers is extremely important not only for the car industries but for every company. Severe penalties and loss of public image usually ensues with “inaccurate reporting” (e.g. financial statements, misleading advertisements etc.) and may very well lead to the downfall of the company itself. With this discovery of inaccurate numbers I’m sure Kia and Hyundai have seen drops in their sales along with the loss of consumer trust/loyalty, and to top it off – yearly compensation to those who had been deceived by the numbers. In order to regain the trust that these two companies have lost from their clients, I think they should probably use an independent service to test their cars in the future and perhaps be associated with various events, companies etc. to help regain their image as a company that does ethical business.
What does everyone else think? Has Hyundai and Kia done enough to earn back the trust of their customers?
One reply on “Are You Getting What You Paid For?”
I dont think they have done enough to earn their trust. I think it is hard to regain their trust once they lost it. Humans are very complex and doubtful creatures. They tend to build walls once they know that they have been betrayed/ or lied to.