While there are surely many ways to test the build quality of a car, you will have to admit that Hyundai’s decision to let loose a horde of more than 40 playful monkeys on a new i30 hatchback, known as the 2013 Elantra GT in North America, has the added benefit of drawing a lot of attention from consumers.
In the first endurance test of the sort in Britain, Hyundai brought a silver i30 at the Knowsley Safari Park, which is home to several dozen baboons that are renowned for their love of destroying visitors’ cars, such as Wayne Rooney’s vehicle when he visited the Merseyside attraction last year.
Together with the park officials, Hyundai’s people sat and watched more than 40 baboons having their way with the i30 hatch for 10 hours.
“You have to be pretty brave to subject a car to the most rigorous quality testers in the world, and the monkeys certainly gave our New Generation i30 a thorough examination!” said Felicity Wood, i30 Product Manager at Hyundai.
“The fact that it survived with only a few scrapes is testament to the way a modern Hyundai is designed and engineered. We really do give a monkey’s about building tough cars!” she added.
To express its gratitude, the South Korean company donated £1,000 to one of Knowsley Park’s supported charities, the Primate Society of Great Britain.
“For a baboon, to have a car to play with for a whole day is manna from heaven!” explained David Ross, General Manager at Knowsley Safari Park. “I’ve seen thousands of cars pass through this enclosure, get mobbed by monkeys, and none have lasted the distance as well as this Hyundai.”
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