Hyundai: Rythms with Sunday.

My Hyundai Tucson (T) at the starting point: Daytona Beach

My journey across the USA will be solely dependent on where the road leads me, however to ride that road I am the captain of my vehicle. I have owned my Hyundai Tucson since returning from my year on sailboats in 2011, where before I had left, I sold my Toyota Highlander thinking I would buy another when I returned.

But something happened overseas.  I loved seeing all the strange vehicles on the roads of Italy and Greece, all the used American cars through the Caribbean. In Santorini, Greece, I rented a teeny-tiny car that was the size of my beach towel and nicked named it, well…Beach Towel.  In the Cape Verde, Islands I did not have time to notice cars since I was in the back of small pickup truck that was screeching around curves as I was  praying that God spare my life from dieing by rolling off the side of the mountains as we had to travel 1 hour just to get to the only Internet cafe. But then it was Ecuador that it finally occurred to me: I had seen the Hyundai brand all around the world. From Spain to yes, the Galapagos Islands it had been there. I did not notice a Toyota in Morocco or an Isuzu in South Africa but I had seen a Hyundai.

Now I’m not saying that those brands do not exist there, I just didn’t notice them.

I had bought into the early reputation of “what kind of a car could South Korea really come up with…” and seriously, couldn't figure out how to actually say the word “Hyundai” properly. But with a year away from the hammering of American advertising, I could think for myself.

At the time I didn’t know that the Montgomery, Alabama production plant was a 9.1 billion dollar facility, or that the brand adds 7 billion to the US national Economy and contributes more than 94,000 jobs to the United States.  And yes, as it turns out they are sold in 193 countries.

But I also didn’t base my decision to go to Daytona Hyundai on the fact the Glen Ritchey, Jr was in my Rotary or what I feel  has a good dealer reputation. I made a decision to go directly to Daytona Hyundai based on what I had seen overseas. I love my T. It always wants to go 90mph without me even knowing it. But no, on this trip no texting and no speeding. And the road will lead, my Hyundai will follow and I am at the helm.

Because I do not drive a foreign car, I drive a global car.