South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Co.’s sentimental ad campaign about first-time car-buying experience produced to celebrate its 20 years in India has attracted 100 million views in the country just three weeks after its release, the company said on Tuesday.

Hyundai Motor India released an ad “Celebrating 20 Years of Brilliant Moments” on June 27, and the four-minute video clip has drawn over 100 million views in just three weeks, the company said. The ad that focuses on the value of family and appeals to emotions of viewers with a nostalgic story about father’s beloved old Hyundai Motor car has instantly become popular among Indian viewers.

The video shows a young son who wants to sell a 20-year old Accent, Hyundai Motor’s compact sedan, against his father’s will after he purchased a new Hyundai car. When a dealer visits his house to check the aged car, he unexpectedly takes an emotional trip down memory lane making the son keep father’s old car, much to the delight of his father.

Touched by the tear-jerker, local viewers are making positive response to the video and further to the Hyundai brand. Some viewers declared that they have watched it over and over, saying they will always stick to the brand, according to a company official.

Hyundai Motor made a foray into the Indian market in 1998 with the launch of Santro, and now it dominates the second largest market share in the country after Maruti Suzuki, a joint-venture between Japanese and Indian automakers.

Hyundai Motor sold 275,136 cars in the first half of this year ended June in India, up 8.6 percent from a year ago. The company plans to expand local production lines to ramp up its annual output to 750,000 units from current 700,000 in the country. It also set up a regional headquarters in the country during South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to the country.

By Kang Young-woon and Lee Ha-yeon

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