RETURN TO THE TOP
The Hyundai Commonwealth dealership, under the Esjay Auto Group, has proven itself as one esteemed institute wherein the South Korean car brand thrives.
Established in 2004, the dealership sits on a 3,300-square-meter property that consists of a spacious showroom that can accommodate seven of its current lineup of vehicles, including its N line of performance vehicles. Add to these are its 10 service bays, that also cater to electric vehicles with its state-of-the-art facilities, not to mention a warehouse dedicated in storing Hyundai genuine parts.
Notably, recently, it once again reclaimed the Dealer of the Year Award (DOTY) for 2025.
This plum yet again adds to its myriad of achievements under its belt, including the DOTY titles in 2012, 2019 and 2023, as well as numerous individual service and sales awards hauled by key people from its more than 240-strong dealership manpower.
“We dedicate this award to our founder, Chairman, and father, and our mother, who have been our inspiration all these years and who have always guided us and supported us,” Hyundai Commonwealth president, Atty. Lyne San Juan-Ponferrada, said during her speech, pertaining to the founders, who established and grew the more than 50-year Esjay Auto Group.
“We will not be here if it were not for their hard work that brought us where we are now,” the youngest of the four children added.
Continuing the legacy
Atty. Lyne, together with her other siblings, are in charge of day-to-day operations in the different units of the Esjay Auto Group.
In particular, San Juan-Ponferrada is at the helm of Hyundai Commonwealth.
“For over 20 years, Hyundai Commonwealth has strived to give the best dealership experience to its customers. But more importantly, we value the trust that our customers have given us over the years. So, we endeavor never to lose that trust and make Hyundai Commonwealth synonymous with reliability and trustworthiness,” she said during an exclusive interview with Inquirer Motoring.
Moreover, she added that Hyundai has world-class products that are innovative, modern and reliable.
“So, in Hyundai Commonwealth, it has been our mission to complement these world-class products with first-class service that is effective, efficient and reliable,” she continued.
“That way, we delight our customers and build lifelong relationships with them.”
Competent, dedicated and empowered employees
According to San Juan-Ponferrada, as dealership president, she tries to lead with fairness.
“As a lawyer, fairness is my guiding light. I try to be fair in making decisions, whether deciding for our customers, our employees or our stakeholders,” she shared.
“I also provide direction and vision to our people. Helping them understand the situation, so that we may effectively address them and avoid any recurrence. I want them to find the answers to problems instead of simply instructing them what to do,” she further explained.
“I also believe in empowering our people.”
For her, when you are blessed with competent and committed employees, you have to empower them and make them know their value and contribution to the success of the company. By doing so, each team member knows what is expected of them–so that the team may achieve its goals.
“I always say that an organization is only as strong as its weakest link. We have been fortunate to have some of the most competent and dedicated people in the Hyundai network. And I am very proud and grateful to have them as part of the Hyundai Commonwealth team through the years. Our people are the heart and soul of Hyundai Commonwealth.”
Bestselling Hyundais
The team behind the success indeed knows their products and services.*
For one, the dealership head honcho even shared the models that most of their customers patronized.
“Our dealership is one of the dealerships with a diverse model mix,” she divulged.
“Meaning, we are able to sell everything from the Stargazer to the Staria, from the Creta to the Santa Fe Hybrid, and even the electric vehicle Ioniq and performance line Hyundai N. We also sell the ever reliable H100 and the Staria Commuter,”
She then added that in terms of numbers, the Stargazer and the H100 are their bestselling models.
“The Stargazer for its modern design and affordability, while the H100 for its reliability.”
Recognition as bonus
“At the end of the day, if we have achieved something like a recognition such as the DOYA, it’s just a bonus for us, like an icing on the cake,” continued the 45-year-old lawyer.
“The important thing is that our customers are happy and satisfied with our services.”
She even further disclosed that they are fortunate to have a very competent team with them–from sales, aftersales, customer relations and even to their back office.
With this, she is grateful that they have stayed with the company through thick and thin.
“We are really fortunate that they have stayed with us–a strong, competent and capable team. We have been through the pandemic, through all the automotive challenges” she shared.
“And this is probably the most important part of our success.”
