40 years of Hyundai in Australia - and John Hughes was there from the very beginning.
Hyundai is celebrating its 40th birthday here in Australia, and we’re proud to say it all started in 1986, when our own John Hughes and his cousin-in-law, close friend and business partner, Alan Bond, secured the distribution rights for Hyundai in Australia. Together, they helped bring the brand to Australian shores, with the first Hyundai vehicles sold right here at John Hughes Victoria Park in Perth.
To take a trip down memory lane and understand the real story of John Hughes and Hyundai, you have to go back to August 1986, standing on a dock in Fremantle and watching a boat. The very first shipment of 1,000 Hyundai Excels was entering the harbour, or as John likes to call it, “bobbing into the heads.”
But the partnership almost ended before it even began. While the ship was out at sea, the Australian dollar collapsed. The exchange rate shifted so dramatically that John Hughes and his partners realised they were going to lose money on every single car on that boat.
Instead of panicking, cancelling the shipment or passing the increased cost on to customers, John kept pushing ahead and refused to give up. He bit the bullet and decided to sell those early cars at a loss, taking the hit himself.
In that first month, just eight cars were sold. To get those early models moving, John and his team embarked on exhausting interstate road trips, pitching a completely unknown brand to sceptical dealers.
Their persistence paid off. By the end of 1986, 1,756 Hyundais had been sold in Australia.
Fast forward 40 years to 2026, and Hyundai has now sold more than 2.2 million vehicles across Australia - a milestone that started with a boat “bobbing into the heads” at Fremantle and a small team willing to take a chance on an unknown brand.
Thanks to all the Aussies who gave Hyundai a chance all those years ago.
Happy 40th birthday, Hyundai!