How the Koreans are cracking the luxury market
 

Filed under: Hyundai, Kia

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South Korea's two largest automotive brands are no longer the same companies they were when they first entered the world stage.

Anyone who visits Seoul after a few years absence is likely going to be in for a shock. What was, not that long ago, a decidedly third-world city is today a thriving, sprawling metropolis increasingly on a par with the world's most modern cities.

So it should come as no surprise, perhaps, that South Korea's two largest automotive brands are no longer the same companies they were when they first entered the world stage more than two decades ago. Gone are the "cheap and cheerful" products - a polite euphemism for entry-level junk - like the original Excel from Hyundai or the Aspire, the subcompact Kia built for former partner Ford, and which critics often derided as the "Perspire" due to its lack of power and amenities.

Kia, the smaller of the two sibling makers, recently confirmed what has long been rumored, revealing plans to introduce its first true luxury sedan. And Kia's ambitions are far from modest, its new K900 takes direct aim at the top of the premium luxury segment, where models like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series live.


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How the Koreans are cracking the luxury market originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Nov 2013 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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