All About Japan Autos

Hyundai has America’s Best Warranty. Its 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and five-year/60,000-mile limited warranty, for example, are longer than what any automaker offers. However, it looks like Hyundai is scaling back on some of its consumer programs.

“With the economy on the mend, Hyundai Motor Co. is retiring a marketing tactic that resonated with an anxious public during the darkest days of the recession — its job loss guarantee,” The Detroit News explains. The Hyundai Assurance Program ends today.

Kicking Tires adds that the Assurance Program began in January 2009 when the recession impacted both consumers and automakers. The program allowed Hyundai owners who lost their jobs to return their vehicle if they owned it for two years or less.

Why is the program disappearing? In an email to Inside Line, Hyundai Spokesman Dan Bedore says, “‘Hyundai is happy to note that while joblessness in the U.S. remains a serious economic problem, it has been decreasing in the U.S. and is no longer a concern of the vast majority of new-car buyers.’” Since 2009, only 350 Americans have taken advantage of the program.

Automotive journalists think this move makes sense – especially when they consider that less than 400 people used the program, and the economy is on the up and up. They also note that this move indicates Hyundai’s growing confidence. “‘Hyundai feels it’s arrived. They feel they’re in product parity with the top Japanese [brands],’” Jack Nerad of Kelley Blue Book states in a conversation with The Detroit News. And with so many Japanese cars in demand due to parts shortages, Nerad thinks it’s a “‘very opportune time’” to retire the program.

The Hyundai Assurance Program ends today, March 31, 2011.

Shopping for a new car? Check out our list of this year’s Best Cars for the Money, then take a look at the best car deals in March. To stay updated on the latest news, follow us on Twitter.