South Korean automaker, Hyundai, has been on a quiet and unassuming path of success of late, unfazed by bigtime competitors like Ford and Honda. Though, it's starting to be apparent that the competitors should be fazed by Hyundai.

For starters, Hyundai has seen great success across the spectrum with quality vehicles ranging from small cars to luxury sedans, and we're seeing new releases from both ends this year. The 2012 Accent is a small car boasting 40 MPG that will contend strongly against the Ford Fiesta and Honda Fit. On the luxury end, the Genesis will also have a facelifted version for 2012 with sleeker styling, a more powerful engine and new eightspeed automatic transmission. These new releases come on the heels of existing frontrunners in the Hyundai lineup, the highly acclaimed Elantra and Sonata, the latter of which outsold all other midsize family sedans in the May 2011.

And the numbers don't lie.  In the first five months of the year, Hyundai and its affiliate Kia together added 1.4 points of U.S. market share, compared with a collective gain of 0.9 points for General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.  These reports become all the more impressive when you take into account Hyundai's markedly smaller base:  Hyundai and Kia only account for 8.8% of the market, compared to Detroit-based automakers' 46.2%.

Hyundai's rise is not just attributed to its supremely quality vehicles; the company has made some bold business moves as well.  At the forefront is Hyundai's Assurance Program, which was originally launched in 2009 as a program to guarantee car payments for buyers in the event that they lost their job. Now revamped to guarantee a vehicle's trade-in value for four years from the day it's bought, the Hyundai Assurance Program translates to more sales and loyal customers.

Hyundai has also taken a unique approach to its luxury car strategy.  Instead of shelling out the costs to set up a separate brand and dealer network for its luxury vehicles, the Genesis and Equus are sold alongside Hyundai's more economically priced cars.  Both luxury vehicles have returned excellent sales figures, showing Hyundai's ability to turn necessity into virtue.

Bottom line:  Look out, Goliath. Here comes David.