How did the South Koreans become so big car manufacturers? Five years ago, felt like I never saw a Kia on the roads. Now they're everywhere, probably the most common brand on the streets right now. They seem to be exceptional high value cars for the middle class. Everyone feared the Chinese would take over but the Koreans beat them to it.

Exploiting American workers by making factories in low wage states then contracting out most workers in stead of hiring them so they don't have to give benefits. Then using various shell companies in several states so they win any lawsuit through complexity (that wasn't us, it was Hyundai Michigan!). Does that sound right?

>>28452750
Panda5 ass post

>>28452733 (OP)
Vertical integration and huge investment/infrastructure in heavy industries.

>>28452752
You're goddamned right, fuck those guys.

>>28452750
>Exploiting American workers by making factories in low wage states then contracting out most workers in stead of hiring them
Sounds like an Amerifat problem to me.

>>28452733 (OP)
Chaebols.

>>28452760
Oh, it is. Companies will do anything to not give healthcare.

>>28452733 (OP)
>How did the South Koreans become so big car manufacturers?
Stagnant wages, and cars are more expensive than ever. Automakers have also largely ceded the small car segment to Koreans as well. Even the Japanese don't serve this segment that much either.

>>28452750
You created all the loopholes and now you mad they used it?

The parts are stupid expensive. Almost porsche tier, and I ain't lyin.

>>28452820
The biggest issue Toyota has right now is that their cars are really ugly and associated with Uber drivers. Nobody wants to drive a box looking Uber car.

>>28452733 (OP)
Honda and Toyota became more expensive.

>>28453163
And uglier. People value aesthetics too. Toyota's style is all gone.

>>28452733 (OP)
Chung Mong-koo was the former CEO of HMG and he was a real piece of shit. Nepobaby (dad founded Hyundai) who was a literal criminal (tried and convicted of embezzlement and fraud in 2007).
His son Eui-sun however is a real car guy. He's been moving up the chain of command for over 20 years. He's the one who brought in those 2 BMW guys to start the N Division. Then he became chairman in 2018 and CEO in 2020. As soon as he got enough power, he fired all of his dad's sycophants and restaffed their whole global operations team. He actually cares about making good cars and they don't make the best cars in the world but the progress he's made in just the last 15 years in remarkable considering how shitty Hyundai's reputation was since the 80s.

>>28453394
Crazy how Asian corporations basically function like old clans. Both Japan and SK are this feudal-like in corporate structures.

>>28453457
vgh, zased
only a few more generations before we have cyberpunk corpo yakuza proxy wars

>>28452733 (OP)
I’ll never own a Kia or Hyundai, during my childhood in the 90s and 00s they were known for having shit reliability and ugly looking designs.
They may look better since getting ex-Audi designers but they will never shake off their poor reliability stigma.

>>28453832
>I’ll never own a Kia or Hyundai, during my childhood in the 90s and 00s they were known for having shit reliability and ugly looking designs.
>They may look better since getting ex-Audi designers but they will never shake off their poor reliability stigma.
Oddly, they are worse now than they were in the 90's and 00's. Back then, they just fell apart way too fast. Now you have a chance that they will self ignite before they fall apart way too fast. Every other brand improved, but hyundai found a way to get worse. Ex Audi designers caused this? No wonder they are no longer employed with Audi.

>>28453957
Bullshit. Kia has decent reliability as a brand.

>>28453394
make picrel, no hybrid shit, and I will buy a Korean car for the first time

>>28453394
>considering how shitty Hyundai's reputation was since the 80s
I was there.
I worked on a friend's Excel in 2000 that was already like ten years old. Omfg I wanted to cry.
I've actually seen a turbo Scoupe in the wild. And yes, it was yellow. And yes, it was falling apart.
Reminder that Balltech LSDs sold in the JDM aftermarket in the 90s/00s were manufactured in Korea. I've owned two, and the metallurgy was so bad they had both destroyed themselves internally.

>>28453394
I mean, they just elected communism, so it's all going to be for nothing.

No clue but the N models are fucking fun and reasonably priced so here's to hoping I don't need them to honor their warranties

>>28454146
It's mechanically sweet but only Indians drive Elantras here, so even the N looks like its interior smells like curry. They should've brought the i30N to North America

>>28454091
>>28454146
>>28454197
uncanny valley posts
soooo close to human
so far from being a haiku

>>28454091
>no hybrid shit
anon...

i really want them to fail
the amount of non-car people who've been made suckers i've met irl makes me actually loathe koreaslop. rich people with loads of money will buy expensive euroslop and get burned but they can recover... poor people bought koreaslop because it was their only option and it would take years for them to recover.
in my perception korean cars survived on scamming dumb poor people more than any other marque, and even though i knew better to never buy one i can never forgive that

>>28454868
It doesn't matter to you that the person responsible for that perception isn't CEO anymore and the new CEO is taking steps to fix that perception?

>>28454903
there's two things that could redeem koreaslop to me
make a better & cheaper econobox than mazda
make a better & cheaper entry level sports coupe than the camaro 1ss

and they simply do not have the engineering ability to do so. they are a company that can only fleece normalfags who do not understand cars with their top level marketing psychopaths.

>>28454903
>the person responsible for that perception isn't CEO anymore and the new CEO is taking steps to fix that perception?
So when did their cars stop self igniting and when did the fire related recalls stop? Asking for a friend.

>>28454915
Why do they have to be the best car maker in the world though? The fact you used two cars from two different makes means you don't even believe that any one company on the planet lives up your own expectations.

>>28454931
There will always be recalls. No make ever produced any model ever that wasn't subject to recalls. Your favorite car was made by a company who issued fire related recalls.

>>28454934
i consider those the benchmark for good cars in their segment based on price performance and reliability; and they are segments i care about. if any maker can match it then i am forced to consider them good. really, if they make any good product in any segment i can admire it.
but korea doesnt make any compelling products at this time, and never has. thats why i am 100% certain that the company is the best at scamming poor people, which is why i dont like them

>>28454953
But Chevy doesn't make a better commuter than Mazda and Mazda doesn't make a better sportscar than Chevy. So if the qualification for being considered good is
>make a better & cheaper econobox than mazda
>make a better & cheaper entry level sports coupe than the camaro 1ss
Neither Chevy not Mazda can be considered good either.

>>28454197
>They should've brought the i30N to North America
if only
i hate americans' taste in everything

>>28454974
if any marque can make any good product in any segment i can admire it. doesnt need to be both. even just a good engine or transmission. anything.
korea has not made anything i can admire

>>28452733 (OP)
Gooks banned all other cars from gookistan which propped up the companies and then lead aassive government funded campaign to flood the markets of the world with gookboxes to stifle competition. The chinks are trying to do the same with their gay EVs.

>>28455000
We should do the same with trucks. Wage automotive warfare on the works until everyone drives a halftone.

>>28454125
>wahh wahh gommunism!!!
South Korea is a corporatist shithole. The chuddy former president just tried a coup and the one a few years back was literally a cult puppet. Communism would be an upgrade. But you’re not crying about communism, you’re crying about lukewarm centrist libtards.

>>28452733 (OP)
Here it seemed to be that when they adopted the 8 year warranty. People were far more likely going to take a risk with a Kia if they knew they could use it for 8 years and then sell it off once they ran out of warranty.

>>28452733 (OP)
>5 years ago I never saw a-
You did. They just looked radically different.
Kiyundai does this fucking game, they make a minor statement in the market with a cheapish car or a coolish car, make it for 5 years, and then people forget about them. 5 years later, when all of those fall off the face of the earth thanks to gooks being chinks pretending to be japs, they do it again
Sometimes they make something reliable and it sticks around, like the recession-era rio or... the pre-recession era rio...

>>28453394
The new Korean made Carnival is really nice for -technically still- a minivan.
Ditto the Mexican made Kias.
t. On the verge of getting a Carnival...

>>28452750
>worker voluntarily signs contract with employer detailing the conditions of employment
>worker can terminate this contract at any time for any reason
>worker: "help i'm being exploited!"
this is literally how retarded communists think.

>>28455787
Meanwhile, in communist china... Workers don't get shit.
There's nothing wrong with advocating for a better work-employment deal.

>>28454937
>There will always be recalls.
Yeah, I had a (1) (single) (not plural) (not fire related) recall for my Nissan. You can turn the contrast down on the infotainment screen so low that you can't see the button to turn the contrast back up. That's it. Not the same as nearly every hyundai/kia model sold in the US in the past 15 years having a fire related recall.
It was just the gas powered hyundai/kia models, but the kona electric car changed that. Other electric models seem to be avoiding self immolation.
Not to imply that hyundai/kia electric cars are safe. They just have different problems. There was a huge recall for hyundai/kia electric cars, but it was just over losing power while driving, not strictly speaking a fire related recall.

Imaging if a real car company had as many and as dangerous recalls as hyundai/kia. It would be unacceptable.

>>28455658
Hell yea brother
>>28452836
Yes. Toyota parts are expensive, hope your fuel tank doesn't decide to rust

>>28456137
>Toyota
that anon is talking about kias and hyundais though

>>28455835
https://caredge.com/guides/automaker-with-the-most-recalls-in-2025

Why lie so brazenly?

>>28453832
they've shaken it already off with their EVs

Lots of Amerifat FUD going on here. American cars suffer by far the most recalls and Kia rates as one of the more reliable brands in general.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/

>>28455835
Not bothering to include the year and model makes it too obvious you're lying out your ass. Because if you did say a specific car then anyone could just look up the recall history. Like for example...
Recall 24V700000 for Leaf fire risk, or recall 23V421000 for Sentra fire risk, or recall 22V875000 for Rogue fire risk, 22V660000 again Rogue fire risk, 22V259000 also Rogue, 21V917000 Frontier, 20V759000 Titan, 20V112000 Versa, multiple vehicles in 19V807000, 19V495000 Titan again
I counted 24 total recalls made in the last 10 years on various Nissan products all citing risk of fire from fuel leaks and electrical problems. Maybe you did get lucky and buy one of the only Nissan products without a fire recall but to Nissan isn't subject to issuing fire recalls is a demonstrable lie.

>>28453457
>Crazy how Asian corporations basically function like old clans.
It's just how it is in Asia. Even Russians do this and they're somehow considered European.

>>28456352
The human species is like an ant colony, okaaay

>>28456304
>Hyundai Motor America and Kia America have issued “park outside” recalls
vs
>21V917000 Frontier
Dealers will install the tow hitch and harness kit, free of charge.
Hyundai cars set themselves on fire without any sort of collision whatsoever and you're comparing that to getting a free tow hitch because it protects the gas tank in a collision. In a collision. Not just randomly igniting without a collision.

>>28456226
>Lots of Amerifat FUD going on here. American cars suffer by far the most recalls
Usually software issues with the infotainment system. Recalls are usually no big deal. They don't come with warnings to park your car outside, away from flammable structures. Usually don't. Because only Hyundai/Kia seems to get those.

How many different ways can a car set itself on fire without a collision? Why do these problems affect so many different Hyundai cars? Why are "park outside" recalls so uncommon for real car companies? Get your shit together, Hyundai.

>>28457459
See the thing about the Nissan recalls is they're all things like "in the event of an accident, the leaf spring may puncture the fuel increasing the risk of a fire" or "improperly secured fuel line may increase the risk of a fire".
What happened with Hyundais was the ABS actuator pump could leak oil onto the circuit board. It didn't matter if there was an accident or not it just happened. That what it says in recalls 18V601000 and 9V807000.
... Hey wait a minute, those are recalls for Nissans and Infinitis. How is it possible that Nissan had to issue a recall for literally the exact same problem as Hyundai? If Nissan good and Hyundai bad, how could Nissan make the same exact mistake and issue the same recall for the same problem?

>>28457522
Let's not even get into H K's DCTs that fucked up their learning software so the transmissions have been failing for a good decade just around when warranty ends.

>>28452733 (OP)
kia boyz wildin

>>28457522
>those are recalls for Nissans and Infinitis
You found one. Honestly, I wasn't aware of that particular recall.
That is horrible.
But it does not excuse the huge number of Hyundai cars that could set themselves on fire without a collision.
I pointed out the Frontier recall in part because of the solution. Adding a tow harness kit.
Adding a tow harness kit, in a Nissan, is part of preventing a fire hazard. Again, in the instance of an accident. A collision. A physical crash.
Contrast that to recall 23V181000 where having a factory supplied tow harness kit can set your car on fire even without any collision. Because Hyundai.

Fucking up and making a serious problem on occasion is horrible. Shame on Nissan for that particular problem. Fucking up on a regular basis is just how Hyundai conducts business. Not the same.

Get your shit together, Hyundai.

>>28457563
Please provide source that Hyundai fucks up more regarding fire hazards than other brands. If it's such a common thing as you say, surely the data must be conclusive.

>>28457563
Yeah that one's pretty bad. But at least Hyundai never had to issue a recall for leaking fuel pressure sensors and then issue another recalled because recalled vehicles fixed under that recall also had the new fuel pressure sensors installed incorrectly and leaked in a different way.

>>28457647
>Yeah that one's pretty bad. But at least Hyundai never had to issue a recall for leaking fuel pressure sensors and then issue another recalled because recalled vehicles fixed under that recall also had the new fuel pressure sensors installed incorrectly and leaked in a different way.
I think the other Hyundai "park outside" recall for receiving a Hyundai recall had to do with relays.

>>28452750
That and they're owned by probably the richest family in Korea. Wasn't there some Alabama plant where they had like 6-8 12 and 13 year olds working on there? I wonder what they had them even doing

>>28458121
I've worked in their 'bama plant. As much as I hate those bastards, there's a zero percent chance there were kids working there. It's locked down harder than a military base, someone would notice. One of the 3rd party supplier plants? Maybe.

>>28452733 (OP)
Most other manufacturers just quit trying to prove anything
>>28452750
Retard. VW, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, to name a few, have factories in the same places that Kia and Hyundai. All of these manufacturers employ the same tactics to attempt to not have to pay out unless some busybody journalist covers it

>>28452760
Aren't libtards all about how you don't NEED a car, or a backyard, or a future. How is that pic bad for them?

>>28458126
>there's a zero percent chance there were kids working there. It's locked down harder than a military base, someone would notice. One of the 3rd party supplier plants? Maybe.
It's disingenuous to pretend a "third party" isn't directly controlled by Hyundai when Hyundai owns 72% of the shares. Hyundai employees were also serving as corporate officers as well as serving on the board of directors for a company that exclusively made Hyundai parts on Hyundai supplied machinery. They weren't just buying parts from some unscrupulous "third party", they were running that supposed "third party". And they got caught.
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OPA/newsreleases/2024/24-1079-NAT_HyundaiComplaint.pdf
>>28458336
>Retard. VW, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, to name a few, have factories in the same places that Kia and Hyundai. All of these manufacturers employ the same tactics to attempt to not have to pay out unless some busybody journalist covers it
Have you tried reporting the information you clearly have to:
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20210
1-866-4-USA-DOL
1-866-487-2365
www.dol.gov
Those "busybodies" can level the playing field so that not just Hyundai gets the negative attention they deserve.

>>28452777
when 60-70% of people are obese i do not blame them. they would be operating at a deficit in just healthcare costs alone.

>>28452750
Those states don't have riots over Trump deporting illegals.

>>28452733 (OP)
They realized Americans are retarded and will buy completely chunks of shit shaped like cars.

>>28452733 (OP)
they started catering to poor people who want a brand new car no matter what, even if its a pile of shit from the factory
then covid turned most of the population into poors through inflation so more people wanted (and could only afford) gookboxes
its like nissan in the 2000s/2010s

>>28460134
More like they do what Japanese cars did in the 90's - offer great value without robbing you blind in maintenance. The SK car industry rose as the Japanese one stopped being interesting.

>>28460134
This doesn't make any sense. The 4 cheapest new cars you can buy are RNMA products. The Elantra and K4 are the same price as a Corolla or Jetta. And it wouldn't explain why anyone was buying the not-cheap ones. I see Tellurides everywhere and those are like 45k.

>>28460189
>offer great value
But anon, a car that struggles to reach 100k miles shouldn't cost more than half as much as cars that easily hit 300k miles. They aren't a luxury brand and they aren't highly prized for any reason. Hyundai overcharges for their shit.

>>28460257
No new cars are hitting 300k anon...

>>28460259
ES350
IS350
RAV4 Hybrid

>>28460261
lmao he believes this
even if that were true that's 3 cars from the same maker out of the entire market

>>28460244
you are forgetting financing terms, sticker price is not the only factor
nissan sold to people with lower credit scores than other brands were willing to stomach, kia does the same thing today

>>28460317
Can you show us the data you have that leads you to believe this?

>>28460259
>No new cars are hitting 300k anon...
......yet
Because they are new.
My Accord is over 20 years old, it's there. I see plenty more on the road just as old. Maybe they don't get sold new with that many miles (duh) but in a few decades of lasting and continuing to last, they end up with the same (or more) mileage. There aren't exactly any low mileage first gen Matrix (or vibes) out there, but there are still lots of those cars still on the road.

It's true that new cars, by definition, don't have 300k miles on them. However, it seems most non Korean cars have a decent chance of getting there.

>>28460350
Being old doesn't mean it has a lot of miles.

>>28454078
>Kia has decent reliability as a brand.
Their engines are ass and that's before the bigger problem that they're very easy to steal.

>>28452733 (OP)
Obligatory post.

>>28461364
I hate weebs but this is true

>>28461297
>that's before the bigger problem that they're very easy to steal.
I don't live in Nigger States of America so not a problem for me.

>>28461364
the jews fear the samurai

>>28461364
>If your product was any good, you wouldn't need warranty
Bruh

>>28452733 (OP)
>Five years ago, felt like I never saw a Kia on the roads
the basis of your entire post is just...wrong. i could say i never noticed teslas anywhere 5 years ago and come to the conclusion that the ev market and teslas have JUST NOW started to get popular.

or maybe you just didnt notice that there was a shitload of kia's and hyundais 5 years ago