Korean cars, will they ever get accepted by petrol heads?
Discussion
king hideous!!!! :OI supply braking systems to Hyundai for their commercial vehicles and I was invited to attend an overseas supplier day in Korea last week. There were approximately 200 people attending and the whole day was planned and executed to perfection. The main conference was in a hotel about 2 hours outside of Seoul and the presentations from Hyundai/Kia were focused on quality/quality/quality. They even made fun of themselves in the early 90's with comments about the Hyundai with a twin exhaust-wheelbarrow and doubling the price of a Hyundai by filling the tank. They now produce 7 million cars a year and have been among the top of polls for quality and customers service in USA for the past 5 years.
In the afternoon we had a tour of one of the factories which produces 150,000 cars a year, it was very impressive, the focus on product quality is amazing. I can also see this by the standard of the top suppliers who were present (same suppliers for top German cars).
I will admit I drove a Hyundai in 1992 and said never again, I have always been a fan of German cars and a bit of a badge snob........but this visit made me think again. In some markets they offer a 10 year driveline warranty as well as 6 years on the full car!!!
Some of the designs I saw in Korea I have not seen in Europe but they look great, yes I would seriously consider a Hyundai or Kia car.
In the afternoon we had a tour of one of the factories which produces 150,000 cars a year, it was very impressive, the focus on product quality is amazing. I can also see this by the standard of the top suppliers who were present (same suppliers for top German cars).
I will admit I drove a Hyundai in 1992 and said never again, I have always been a fan of German cars and a bit of a badge snob........but this visit made me think again. In some markets they offer a 10 year driveline warranty as well as 6 years on the full car!!!
Some of the designs I saw in Korea I have not seen in Europe but they look great, yes I would seriously consider a Hyundai or Kia car.
dowahdiddyman said:
Exactly, We can all remember the likes of the Hyundai Stellar etc and wouldn`t have wished them on our worst enemy but now they are a totally different kettle of fish. The new Sorento,Sportage,Optima,i40 etc are all damn good cars.
My Dad had a Stellar in the late 80's. The shame.Kia seems to be the more interesting brand of the two - better styling and a fresher image. If they took the Genesis Coupe and made a Kia version, it would be sell like hotcakes. The quality is also pretty good now too. I would take an i30 over a Corolla any day.
deltashad said:
Nice, er... selection of Korean cars on your garage 
How can you go from a Maserati 3200gt to a Hyundai coupe?
Had to get the `v8` thing out of my system, unfortunately the `v8` took 99% out of my wallet.How can you go from a Maserati 3200gt to a Hyundai coupe?
If the uk importers actually grew a pair and would import the rumored 5.5ltr supercharged genesis though i`d be willing to have another go, especially if it was in the coupe body.
The problem with them is that they still are a bit lowest common denominator cars. They do everything you really expect a car to do acceptably but they don't do anything special that the competitors do.
They are very good value but whilst it is fairly easy to justify them as the sensible choice until it becomes that they are the best at something other than price then they won't really be accepted.
They are very good value but whilst it is fairly easy to justify them as the sensible choice until it becomes that they are the best at something other than price then they won't really be accepted.
fizz47 said:
They will do well- it's a repeat of Toyota/Honda/Nissan.
When they first came to this country people turned their noses up at them- give it time and they will become very mainstream - it will be quicker if they come out with some interesting cheap priced coupe...
that was my immediate thought as well When they first came to this country people turned their noses up at them- give it time and they will become very mainstream - it will be quicker if they come out with some interesting cheap priced coupe...
recast this question 30 is years ago about the japanese brands ...
Heathwood said:
I think the new Kia Cee'd looks cracking.
What's remarkable is that Kia has created a coherent design language pretty much from scratch. You can look at a new model and tell it's a Kia without looking at the badge. I think there are quite a few big Japanese marques that still haven't managed to achieve that. cossey said:
The problem with them is that they still are a bit lowest common denominator cars. They do everything you really expect a car to do acceptably but they don't do anything special that the competitors do.
They are very good value but whilst it is fairly easy to justify them as the sensible choice until it becomes that they are the best at something other than price then they won't really be accepted.
Well, they seem to combining Japanese reliability with a European feel to the styling. That could be their winning point, a car that looks as good as a Ford or Opel, but is built like a Honda.They are very good value but whilst it is fairly easy to justify them as the sensible choice until it becomes that they are the best at something other than price then they won't really be accepted.
i quite like the look of the soul tooI don't think the Koreans are interested in petrolheads, or our perceptions of their products. They are closely following the Japanese example, and selling on quality, reliability, value and peace-of mind. The strong Yen is currently causing the Japanese manufacturers major pain, and Hyundai-Kia are taking advantage of this opportunity to build their share of global markets.
I'm sure SIAC, Geely, Dongfeng etc are studying the Koreans very carefully, and fully intend to copy them.
I'm sure SIAC, Geely, Dongfeng etc are studying the Koreans very carefully, and fully intend to copy them.
thesyn said:
Korean cars have basically arrived.
The question should be when will Chinese cars be accepted?
When they bring out their '240Z'.The question should be when will Chinese cars be accepted?
If you think about it, in the Seventies Japanese cars were snapped up in their thousands by disinterested drivers looking for something blandly reliable. They were regarded as little more than white goods until Datsun brought out the 240Z, which went on to be the world's biggest-selling sports car after the world's motoring press raved about it.
Also, it really pulled off quite a coup. It managed to look like a cross between a Ferrari 275 GTB/4 and an Aston Martin DBS, while still sounding and performing well enough to put it ahead of all its price rivals. It did 125mph when most of its rivals were happy with 100-110 and it handled like a good'un.
The modern equivalent would be a GT86 rival capable of 150mph with a mid-range Focus price tag.
The Genesis was Hyundai's '240Z' moment. In the grand scheme of things the UK market doesn't matter, but they gave the US a muscle-car that looks like a Mercedes CLK and smokes its tyres at the lights. Wish we had it.
It's only a matter of time before China does something credible. Right now they're where Japan was in the '50s/'60s, effectively licence-building or building old knock-offs from other companies. They've got a lot to learn, but they've got wodges of cash with which to buy in talent.
If they play their cards right, a new MG sports car that makes for a credible 370Z rival, and maybe a genuinely exciting sports bike from one of their motorbike companies, will be the sign that China's mot industry has 'arrived'.
dowahdiddyman said:
This is where Hyundai really missed the boat,the Genesis coupe should have been in this country it would have sold by the boat load. Instead we had to wait and got the Veloster, seen about 2 maybe 3 on the road.
But who really would buy a Korean coupe for north of £20 or even £25k, with horrendous thirst, high emissions (and hence BIK for company car drivers) and high VED rates?We didn't get it because people don't want that kind of car - how many BMW 1 and 3 series coupes are diesel company cars these days?
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