New Hyundai Assurance provision locks gas at $1.49/gal for one year [w/VIDEO]
Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock ads – Click above to watch the videos after the jump
Hyundai is piling on additional incentives to boost its Assurance program as the industry heads into the dog days of summer. The newest promotion, Gas Lock, fixes the price of regular unleaded at $1.49 per gallon for the next year. The program runs July 1 through August 31, and eligible vehicles include the Accent, Sonata, Tiburon, Elantra, Elantra Touring, Entourage, Azera, Santa Fe, Tucson and Veracruz. Customers choosing to utilize Gas Lock will forgo $1,000 in available rebates, making the incentive a gamble that gas prices will remain high.
Hyundai Assurance struck at cord with the American public when it offered payment protection in the event of job loss. Now Hyundai is looking to give consumers increased peace of mind over of the volatility of gas prices, which have swung from under $2 a gallon a few months ago to nearly $3 at the beginning of summer.
John Krafcik, CEO and president of Hyundai Motor America, says the company's research shows that "nearly 40% of potential new car buyers are staying out of the market specifically due to uncertainty around future gas prices."
You may remember that last year, Chrysler tried a similar promotion, offering the opportunity to lock in gas at $2.99 per gallon when a gallon of petrol was at an all-time high of about $4.50. The move didn't appear to be very successful for the Pentastar, as most opted to instead take the upfront cash on the hood. Hit the jump to pour over the particulars of Hyundai's Gas Lock promotion, watch the two commercials, and let us know in the comments section if you feel customers would be better off taking the $1,000 or one year of $1.49 gasoline.
[Source: Hyundai | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]
Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock Commercials
PRESS RELEASE:
Hyundai Tackles High and Uncertain Fuel Prices with Assurance Gas Lock -- $1.49 Per Gallon Guaranteed for a Year
With Assurance Gas Lock and One of the Most Fuel-Efficient Lineups in the Industry, Hyundai Welcomes Owners Trading Out of Older Gas-Guzzlers
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., June 30, 2009 – With gas prices expected to push over $3 per gallon during peak summer travel months, Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock guarantees a year's worth of gas at $1.49 per gallon on most Hyundai models leased or purchased between July 1 and August 31, 2009. Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock complements Hyundai Assurance and Hyundai's 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, and is available with special rebate and financing options on individual models.
"Hyundai Assurance is a unique platform because it enables us to partner with consumers in ways that address their immediate concerns," said Joel Ewanick, vice president, Marketing, Hyundai Motor America. "We've extended Hyundai Assurance to cover gas prices just as peak summer demand traditionally strains budgets further, guaranteeing most new Hyundai owners a year's worth of low gas prices. It's another way we show consumers that, in this downturn, we're in this together, and we'll get through it together."
The average U.S. price for regular-grade gasoline closed at $2.64 per gallon on June 29, 59 cents per gallon higher than its price at the end of April according to the Energy Information Administration.1 Regular-grade gasoline prices are expected to reach their summer seasonal peak in July, with a monthly average close to $2.70 per gallon, and many local markets over $3.00 per gallon. Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock enables consumers to save between $1 and $1.50 per gallon at the pump from current gas prices with the purchase of a new Hyundai.
"Our research shows that nearly 40 percent of potential new car buyers are staying out of the market specifically due to uncertainty around future gas prices," said John Krafcik, CEO and president of Hyundai Motor America. "With Assurance Gas Lock, we're empowering consumers with gas price stability so they can make a confident vehicle choice. And for those buyers out there driving older gas-guzzlers that qualify for the new government CARS program, we think our fuel-efficient lineup of award-winning vehicles, combined with Assurance Gas Lock, makes Hyundai an unbeatable combination."
To sign up for Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock, new Hyundai owners simply register their valid Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card, or a Visa or MasterCard check card, at hyundai.pricelock.com. After enrolling, the consumer will receive a new Hyundai Assurance-branded card to be used for all future fill ups. The consumer is billed $1.49 per gallon of regular-grade gasoline, regardless of the price at the pump, and Hyundai pays the rest. (The driver may elect to purchase mid-grade gasoline for $1.64 per gallon, or premium gas for $1.79 per gallon as well, although all eligible Hyundai vehicles are factory-certified for regular fuel.) The card can be used at any gas station in the Voyager credit card network, which covers 93 percent of gas stations nationwide including brands such as Exxon, Chevron, BP, Shell, Mobil, 76, Texaco and many more. Consumers are eligible to purchase a maximum number of gallons equal to 12,000 miles divided by the EPA combined fuel economy rating for the qualifying model.
Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock is standard on all new Accent (excluding base model), Tiburon, Elantra, Elantra Touring, Entourage, Sonata, Azera, Santa Fe, Tucson and Veracruz models, most of which are eligible for $3,500 to $4,500 in government CARS (Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save) vouchers for those consumers with less fuel-efficient trade-ins. Consumers will be given the option of accepting the full rebate offered on an individual model, or may choose the Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock promotion, reducing the rebate by $1,000. Four Hyundai models achieve more than 30 miles per gallon on the highway –Accent, Elantra, Elantra Touring and Sonata. Hyundai ranks third in corporate average fuel economy according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, so consumers will realize further cost savings by stepping into a more fuel-efficient model than they currently drive.
Hyundai Assurance, the first program of its kind for an automaker in the U.S. auto industry, allows consumers to walk away from a financing obligation when certain adverse life events occur, providing protection from financial shortfalls that arise from vehicle depreciation (negative equity) up to $7,500.
Hyundai Assurance and Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock complement America's Best Warranty as standard protection on eligible new vehicles financed or leased from a participating Hyundai dealer. For full details about the programs, visit: www.Hyundai.com.
HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 790 dealerships nationwide.
PRICELOCK
The Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock program is offered in partnership with Pricelock. Pricelock, based in Redwood City, California, is the world's first company to combine patented technology and commodities expertise to bring price predictability to the volatile $700 billion retail fuel market. The company also offers Carbonlock(TM), a unique, patented "green fleet" program that allows fleets and businesses to efficiently acquire certified carbon offsets and become carbon neutral. Pricelock can be found on the Web at www.pricelock.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dennis C. McGrath 1:41PM (6/30/2009)
Gas here in New Jersey is now $2.49. I buy about 40 gallons a month. So I would save about $40 a month, or $480 in a year. So ... I'll take mine up front.
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Chris M 7:07PM (6/30/2009)
Here, the price has been climbing steadily, and is now around $3 per gallon. If it keeps climbing at this rate, it would reach $4 by this time next year. That's a bit worrisome.
Assuming you really want a new car, and really like the Hyundai, the decision on whether to take the cash or the gas price guarantee really comes down to what the fuel economy is on the vehicle, and how much you typically drive each year, and what alternative use you could put that cash to.
As for me, I'll sit this one out, as I've got a good car and I'm not in the market right now.
Dennis C. McGrath 1:58PM (6/30/2009)
Also, a little back-of-the-envelope calculating over at Edmunds suggests that a bone stock Accent coupe that could be purchased for $9137, bought at the 5% I can get from my credit union over 48 months, would result in a payment of $229.76 without the $1000 cash back, and a $206.73 payment with the $1000, yielding a total savings of $1105 over four years ... so yeah, I would choose the $1000 cash back over the capped gas price. Gas would have to go to $3.06 and stay there - consistently over four years - for the cash back to be a wash with the capped gas. And I don't think it will stay there consistently over four years. Six months ago I was paying $1.35 - will I see that again? It is possible ... A year ago I was paying just under $4. Will I see that again ... yeah, eventually. But I'd rather have the cash in hand than speculate.
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Dennis C. McGrath 2:04PM (6/30/2009)
d'oh! I'd have to recoup the entire 4 year savings on the reduced cost of purchasing the car in one year of capped gas, so gas would have to be $3.79/gal consistently for the one year of capped gas for the gas benefit to equal the benefit of cash up front.
I'm an English major so any error in math is purely unforgivable.
cminj2001 5:43PM (7/24/2009)
I bought a Soanta and they didnt even mention this. I guess they knew I needed every penny of that rebate to get the car. Its ridiculous anyway you have to be Einstein to analyze the value of this so called option.
Reply