Hyundai Motor launches car subscription service in Busan

Hyundai Motor is expanding its mobility subscription service Hyundai Selection to Busan, the second largest city here after Seoul, the company said Monday.

Similar to a lease contract, Hyundai Selection allows subscribers to choose a car to use from its portfolio of vehicles at their preferred time and pick-up location through an app.

The Busan extension will offer two service packages -- regular and special -- for 14 Hyundai Motor vehicles, the firm said.

For the regular package, a monthly rental service, cars including the Grandeur, Palisade, Santa Fe, Sonata, Tucsan, Avante and Venue, among others, are available for subscribers. The special package is for short-term subscriptions with only four -- Veloster N, Sonata N line, Ioniq 5 and Staria --available for use.

The company said it will add three more N brand vehicles to the roster.

In July, Hyundai Motor will also introduce a service to provide those subscribed to the standard package a free upgrade to the special package when they visit other regions.

For example, if a subscriber using Grandeur in Seoul travels to Busan, they would be offered a free usage of the Staria for four days, and vice versa.

Those wishing to subscribe to the service in Busan can start making reservations on the Hyundai Selection app from Monday and receive the car by the end of this month, the company said.

Hyundai Motor launched the Hyundai Selection for the first time in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area in April 2020, in partnership with other car rental companies.

The monthly vehicle subscription service covers taxes, insurances and the cost for maintenance. Since its official launch, the service has drawn over 10,000 members and maintains a subscription rate of 97 percent, Hyundai Motor said.

The regular package has three rate plans -- basic, standard and premium -- and the monthly fee for the basic service is 590,000 won ($519).


By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)