Few can boast of working 30 years in the same company and, above all, few can boast of doing it with the enthusiasm of the first day. Santiago de la Rochapress officer of Hyundai in Spain, celebrates his three decades within the team of the South Korean car manufacturer, within which he has experienced all the stages of the brand, from its arrival on the Spanish market until its crowning best-selling car with the Hyundai Tucson.
An evolution that De la Rocha has witnessed and which has made Hyundai one of the favorite brands of Spaniards, with five awards to its credit. “Best car of the year in Spain”thanks to models that marked a before and after in the history of the automobile and actions that succeeded in positioning the brand beyond four wheels as “the desert of children”.
OKDIARIO interview with Santiago de la Rochapress officer of Hyundai in Spain, to know the growth of the brand over the last 30 years and what are the main challenges facing the automotive sector in the midst of the transition from combustion engines to electric motors.
Question: What does it take to spend 30 years in the same company?
Answer: When I joined Hyundai in 1994, I was in a completely unknown company, because at that time buying a car outside Europe was a rare case, a strange case. But shortly after joining, I realized the potential and the future it had, as well as the human quality of the people and the team that was part of it. From the beginning, I have been clear about the fact that companies are created by the people and the team we surround ourselves with on a daily basis.
The first years, we started with the Pony, the Coupe and the Accent, with all these so-called low cost cars, which were cheap cars, but reliable because they didn’t break down. That is to say, there was potential as a brand with a great product, but the important thing is that there was also this potential at team level, which 30 years later still exists and which is fundamental for the evolution of the company in Spain.
Additionally, it should be noted that the turnover at Hyundai is very high, there are many workers who have been with the brand for more than 20 years and that says a lot about a company. A development that deserves to be studied since, in a short time, Hyundai has managed to become the third largest automobile manufacturer in the world.
Q: Since you talked about your beginnings, how did you get started at Hyundai Motor Spain?
A: My career in the automotive sector started at Lada. My contract ended, but I was lucky that at that time Hyundai had just landed in Spain, where they were looking for sales representatives. It was my first position in the company, being responsible for the entire Levant region, Andalusia, Extremadura and part of Castile-La Mancha. At that time, Hyundai was a very fledgling company, with very few employees, and we were the guys doing everything from opening the dealership to managing the logistics. I stayed there for eight years until they made me sales manager. In my opinion, everyone should go through the sales department of any company and, in the specific case of the automotive industry, know first of all the dealer network, who are our customers and partners.
When I joined Hyundai, the brand had been present in Spain for two years and was starting practically from scratch. During this period I had the opportunity to see its evolution, so these 30 years are definitely worth it.
“It remains for me to have succeeded in conveying through the media what Hyundai is and positioning it as one of the most important brands in the Spanish market”
Q: Which of these positions do you prefer?
A: If I had to choose a position, it would be the current one: press officer for Hyundai Motor Spain. I have been working there for almost 22 years, although the rest of the stages of my professional career have been an excellent school for learning in depth the market and the world of automobiles. But, without a doubt, I still have managed to convey what Hyundai is through the media and position it as one of the most important brands in the Spanish market, with numerous recognitions such as having obtained the title of “Best Car of the Year” five times in Spain.
So much time in the same role affects you a lot, over nine years in sales, although it was also a fabulous time in my development in the company.
Q: And if you could choose one car, what would it be?
A: There is not one, but there are several. The first was the first Coupe, called Shark, which, when it arrived in Spain, was not yet a popular sports car segment and in the first year it achieved almost 8,000 sales, creating a segment and a history in the field of sportsmanship.
The first Hyundai i30 cannot be missing from this list, the first car with which we began to see the evolution of a 100% Korean brand towards an already trendy brand in Europe, a car designed for the European market. It was also the first Hyundai car and the first Asian car to win the “Best Car of the Year in Spain” award.
And then the Hyundai Santa Fe, which was the first compact SUV to arrive on the Spanish market and has a history of 22 years. An evolution, as you have seen with the new Santa Fe, which has made the brand a reference in the SUV market, which are the fashionable and most demanding segments due to the competitiveness of the market.
I will stick to these three models in the Hyundai range.
Q: Currently, Hyundai is one of the best-selling brands in Spain, so much so that in 2022 it has managed to become the best-selling car with the Tucson. How can a brand consolidate itself now that we are seeing new players entering our market such as Chinese brands?
A: The evolution of design and technological evolution have been essential. We went from a 100% Korean brand to a car manufacturer with a great European pedigree thanks to the two factories we have on the Old Continent and the design center in Europe, from which cars like the Hyundai Tucson, Made in the Czech Republic.
In addition to the evolution of design and technology, Hyundai has a truly engaged dealer network. We are the only general manufacturer not to have a dealer association, which says a lot about the good relations between the brand and the distributors. A philosophy that permeates the consumer, who considers Hyundai as a reliable brand, which gives a lot of satisfaction to customers, as demonstrated by all satisfaction and loyalty studies.
To which we must add the actions that we have undertaken to position the brand through the most popular sports in the country such as football and thanks to Hyundai I was able to benefit from the greatest collective joy of this country by being able to attend the final of the World Cup in South Africa, where Spain managed to win. As well as corporate social responsibility and solidarity actions, among which “Le Désert des Enfants” stands out, one of the projects of which I am most proud in my professional career.
Ultimately, the sum of all this means that the evolution of the brand has been unstoppable and has managed to position itself as one of the favorites of the Spanish consumer. This year we will try to become the second best-selling brand thanks to the incorporation of new models in our range.
“Administrations must realize that the sector is making enormous efforts to fight for sustainability”
Q: Where is the automotive industry and where is it going?
A: The automotive sector is going through a period of uncertainty. I believe that the technological transformation towards electrification is unstoppable and that the industry is doing its homework, but I do not believe in an exclusively 100% electric future.
Administrations must understand that the sector is making enormous efforts to fight for sustainability with investments of billions of euros to develop clean technologies capable of electrifying vehicles and developing fuel cell or hybrid cars with greater autonomy.
I consider myself an optimistic person and I believe that the automobile industry has a great future ahead of it.
Q: Speaking of the future, what can we expect from Hyundai in the coming years?
A: Hyundai’s evolution in the years to come will be truly impressive. As Eduardo Ramírez, our head of design in Europe, who is Spanish and of whom we are absolutely proud, said, Hyundai design is like a game of chess; Each car is a different piece, but together they are family.
At the technological level, Hyundai is a benchmark, as it offers its customers five types of electrification technologies, being a pioneer in the hydrogen car, which reflects how the brand is preparing for the future. In addition, we must keep in mind that we have been developing fuel vehicles for more than 22 years, although it is clear that we are moving towards electrification and that this is unstoppable.
The future of Hyundai is absolutely optimistic, it is a brand capable of combining design and cutting-edge technology, as evidenced by the latest models such as the new Santa Fe or the Ioniq range.
