The Hyundai Excel first appeared on American streets in early 1986. Originally most people looked down their noses at this South Korean "McCar" and few thought it would make much impact in the marketplace. But the Excel became the little import that could. With a base price of $4,995 it got the attention of lots of people who, until then, couldn't have afforded a new car. In its first year it sold nearly 170,000 units in the US, a record at the time for a first year import and it quickly became a fixture on American roads.

While quality problems dogged the Excel over the next few years and it would be discontinued after 1994 (replaced initially by the Sonata and then by a slew of higher priced, higher quality models), Hyundai itself was here to stay. Today, the Hyundai Kia Group is the worlds fourth largest automobile manufacturer, operates the world's largest automobile plant in Ulsan South Korea and Hyundai automobiles regularly win top quality awards around the world.

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