Hyundai is the latest name to enter the UK manufacturer fray, after agreeing terms with Advantage Cellular to facilitate the launch of Hyundai Mobile UK. The automobile and electronics giant, has launched Hyundai Mobile across parts of Europe in September 2008, and will base itself in the same Oxfordshire building as Advantage to oversee its expansion into the UK. 

Hyundai is aiming for a UK market share of 3-5% within the next five years. The launch has seen Advantage’s marketing manager, Graham Jelfs, become Hyundai Mobile UK’s head of marketing and communications. 

Hyundai is to have talks with UK operators, distributors and retailers ‘in the coming weeks’. It has around eight devices on the European marketplace so far, and will showcase new devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. 

The manufacturer will attempt to release between 10 and 15 new handsets this year, with at least one Windows Mobile business handset release planned for the first half of this year. Other product segments include ‘basic’, ‘music’, ‘lifestyle’ and ‘innovation’. 

Around eight members of staff will initially be employed to get the UK operation off the ground, and Hyundai says it is aiming to increase that number quickly. It will use Advantage’s warehousing and logistics facility, which the manufacturer says will help avoid delays associated with shipping units abroad.  source