*Randy Parker, the CEO of Hyundai Motor America, joins Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, a weekly syndicated multicultural automotive program, for a one-on-one conversation.
Last summer, Parker, who is a seasoned executive in the industry, earned the keys to drive the fifth-largest automotive brand in the United States based on sales volume, after decades of grinding his way to the top.
Hyundai’s Sales Growth: Pre Pandemic Vs Post Pandemic
While many automakers are still struggling in terms of sales to return to pre-pandemic levels, that hasn’t been the case for the Hyundai brand.
In 2019, Hyundai ended the year at 688,771 units, which was the last full year of normalcy for the world, before the disruption of the pandemic.
Almost three years later, under Parker’s leadership, the brand’s sales soared despite inventory issues to 724,265 in 2022, taking market share away from other brands, as the entire industry sales shrunk. Prior to being promoted to the CEO seat, the collegiate athlete was the brand’s first Black vice president of sales.
Black Executives In The Driver’s Seat
Besides Hyundai elevating its key Black talent, and moving Parker to a key position post-George Floyd, Infiniti, and Lexus appointed Black men to lead their brands too.
And as it relates to EV start-ups, two Black men are wearing the CEO hats, at the Ohio-based Lordstown Motors and the Georgia-based Derek Automotive, which was birthed by a Black man.
Conversely, ‘The Detroit Three,’ General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, which was formerly the Chrysler Corporation, have lost ground in terms of Black talent in the C-suites, leading automotive brands. General Motors, once a diversity leader in the industry with the Black community, appointed Roy Roberts as the first Black executive in the nineties to run Pontiac-GMC, a major automotive brand. During Roberts’ era, he went on to become the highest-ranking Black executive in the industry.
Ironically, while Black men have made progress inching closer to the CEO seat, running a major automotive manufacturer, that hasn’t been the case with Black women despite the group registering a slightly larger share of new vehicles in their name in comparison to Black men, when based on traditional households, according to the latest data provided by S & P Global Mobility.
With that said, in both a radio and an extended video conversation, Hyundai Motor America’s first CEO joins Auto Trends with JeffCars.com for a wide-ranging discussion.
We’ll address everything from vehicle affordability, as the average price of a new-vehicle transaction price is expected to top a whopping $50,000, to the TikTok hot wiring thefts impacting older model Hyundais to the major investment the Korean automaker has made in manufacturing EVs in the United States.
Furthermore, we also talk about the future of gasoline-powered vehicles, Hyundai’s stance on child labor when working with their suppliers, and what it means to be a Black CEO for Hyundai.
How To Tune In Or View The Radio And Video Conversation
The radio program airs: Saturday, May 20 thru Thursday, May 25.
To tune in and/or peruse the FM and online radio schedule with all of our affiliates, click here.
To view the extended radio/video conversation:
About Auto Trends With JeffCars.com:
Jeff Fortson is the host and executive producer of Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the only syndicated multicultural automotive program airing in North America. The 30-minute weekly show airs on SiriusXM 141 and several FM radio dials. The program consists of in-depth one-on-one conversations with modern industry pioneers, trendsetters, and influencers ranging from the ‘Hidden Figure’ and Black female responsible for using a mathematical formula to assess the accuracy of the GPS to auto analysts to car designers to the trailblazer of LGBT auto advertising.
For upcoming shows, car reviews, car-buying tips, recall updates, and a car payment calculator, visit Jeff’s car-buying educational guide at JeffCars.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffCars and Instagram @autotrendswithjeffcars.
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