Connecting Data to Wealth Creation
Connecting Data to Wealth Creation
Hyundai's Endgame: Paywalls, Exploitation, and a Side of Greenwashing?
Alright, let's get one thing straight: Hyundai's recent moves are giving me serious heartburn. It's like they're actively trying to become the poster child for everything wrong with the auto industry.
First, this whole "paywall for brake pad changes" thing? Seriously? I saw that Reddit thread about the Ioniq 5N. So, you buy a performance EV that's designed to be driven hard, and then Hyundai locks basic maintenance behind a subscription? What a joke. Hyundai Paywalls Brake Pad Changes
They want you to shell out $60 a week for access to the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF), plus drop two grand on their interface tool, but only if you're a "service professional." Give me a break. This isn't about safety; it's about squeezing every last dime out of customers. Like, are you kidding me?
And don't even get me started on the fact that some random Harbor Freight scan tool is the only thing that actually works. It throws error codes, sure, but at least it works.
This whole situation feels like a twisted analogy. It's like selling someone a racehorse, then charging them extra every time they need to clean its hooves. It's nickel-and-diming taken to a whole new level of absurdity. Why not just charge us per mile driven, or per brake application? Oh wait, don't give them ideas...
The electrification of vehicles was supposed to simplify things. Fewer moving parts, less maintenance, right? Apparently, Hyundai missed the memo.
But wait, there's more! Because apparently screwing over customers wasn't enough, now they're facing a lawsuit alleging labor exploitation. Child labor, immigrant exploitation, prison labor... it's like a checklist of corporate sins. Labor lawsuit says O.C.-based Hyundai, Kia are exploiting children, immigrants, inmates
Jobs to Move America is suing Hyundai and Kia, claiming they're using dirt-cheap labor in their supply chains to undercut the competition and win contracts from public agencies. State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo and L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez are already raising red flags, and rightfully so.
Former employee Mark Miller's account is chilling. No safety, no training, just "get on the line, get the parts and get them out the door no matter what." And Rosalinda Soriano-Torres' story? Recruited for one job, forced into manual labor, and then fired for getting pregnant? That's not just unethical; it's disgusting.
If even half of these allegations are true, Hyundai and Kia have some serious explaining to do. And California needs to put a stop to any contracts with these companies until they clean up their act.
And then, to top it all off, Hyundai's providing "official vehicles" for the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg. Thirty STARIA MPVs, all in the name of "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability."
Oh, the irony.
They're touting their commitment to sustainability while allegedly exploiting workers and paywalling basic car repairs. It's like putting lipstick on a pig – a very polluting pig.
I mean, let's be real, this G20 thing is just a giant PR stunt designed to distract from the bad press. And honestly... it's working, kinda. I'm even talking about it, offcourse.