Filed under: Hyundai, Kia
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.
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.
Continue reading How the Koreans are cracking the luxury market
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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19-12-2013, 09:20 AM
