South Korean culture has taken off recently. Hit Netflix series Squid Game saved the US streaming service and popular boy band BTS is all we hear on the radio these days. This culture adoption of South Korea has also drip fed into their cars, with Hyundai and Kia pumping out both sell-out cars and proper driving machines - looking at you, N division.
This past year has seen release of the Hyundai i20N, Kia EV6, and both Ioniq 5 and 6. All these cars have been well received within the media, least so the Ioniq 6. This design split opinions, with its sleek lines, however TopGear did a fantastic article dissecting the design. After carefully in-depth analysis, we realised we were looking at it from the wrong perspective. It was compared to the 30s Streamliner design, and after this comparison, the lines began flow more. Even with the split the room design, you have to agree with standout designs like this, Ioniq (Hyundai shoot-off brand) ooze confidence.
This throwback state of mind can be traced back to the better received Ioniq 5, with strong 70s/80s hot hatchback lines. We can even see this in their concepts, like the 80s Delorean style N Vision 74.
This confidence of design and constant sell-out cars means the Hyundai Group (in essence all the South Korean companies) ooze that confidence normally associated with Western manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes. We can see this trend of popularity when we see where they have come from: buying a Kia or Hyundai in the early 2000s was a purchase led by the wallet, compared to today where we see a stark difference, with these companies being the 'in' thing in the school carpark. This confidence can only mean good things for these companies as we roll in the electric era.
This is South Korea's era.
Jack Gore
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