By Chil-Young Kwon
Production Management Team
Kia Motors Corporation

I noticed something when I had to move a completed car at the factory recently. It was broad daylight so I tried to turn off the headlights, but the daytime running lights stayed on. Surprised and believing something had gone wrong during assembly, I turned to my senior colleague for advice. He said, “The car’s for Canada, right? In accordance with Canadian laws, the headlights automatically come on if you start the engine.”

Were you aware that there are cars in which the lights come on just by starting the ignition? As a company exporting vehicles to some 200 countries, Kia Motors develops and produces cars suited to laws and conditions of each nation. For example, all Kia cars are designed to satisfy exhaust gas emission standards of the relevant region.

What about other conditions? Countries with a large land mass such as the US and Australia do not produce cars with small engine displacement. This means that all Optima models in the US are either 2400cc or 2700cc. But in Asia and Europe, we can find 2000cc Optimas.

In addition, we are helping to make cars accessible to everyone. We have developed vehicles for people living with a disability and models are currently available in Korea.

So, what do you think? When you spot the same model as your own overseas, try to find out how they differ and let us know! You will discover many interesting things. And remember, when driving in Canada don’t be concerned if the headlights stay on even during the day!

By Hyun Jin Cho
Strategy Planning Team
Kia Motors Corporation

Hello. This time I would like to talk about environmentally-friendly cars.

Diverse environmentally-friendly cars are currently in fierce competition to lead the global auto market. Hybrid or clean diesel cars, and cars that run on bio-fuel have taken the early lead, followed by plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. It’s anyone’s guess which will become the most popular, but one thing is sure, only the winning companies will be able to survive in the 21st century.

Kia Motors has worked on developing environmentally-friendly vehicles for some time now. In 1986, it developed Korea’s first electric vehicle (Besta) and released it on the market in 1993. In 2000, Kia succeeded in developing the country’s first fuel cell vehicle and completed the development of a hybrid electric car in 2005 and began domestic supplies. Based on such efforts, Kia is now pursuing a plan to sell hybrid electric cars to the general public in 2009.

Kia is continuing to take bold, progressive actions. On March 25th, Kia provided Sportage hydrogen fuel cell cars to Korea Energy Management Corporation. Through road test evaluations on driving experience, fuel economy and durability, Kia is spurring on development for commercialization technology.

The hydrogen fuel cell-powered Sportage features Kia’s proprietary 80kW fuel cell stack, enabling the vehicle to run up to 350km on one charge of 350bar compressed hydrogen. Starting the engine and driving are possible in sub-zero temperatures, while a hydrogen leak detection sensor and collision sensor have minimized risks. A wide range of tests, including crash test, have been conducted to guarantee the safety of the hydrogen and electric system.
 
Kia Motors had a relatively slow start in joining the environmentally-friendly car race. However, as Kia’s strength stems from its ‘We can do it!’ spirit, there’s no doubt that we will pull off a major upset in the marketplace.

By Jay Ryu
Assistant Manager, Overseas Product Marketing Team

We are grateful for how much interest the Kia KOUP generated at the 2008 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS).  There have been many inquiries as to the viability of KOUP finding its way into production.  To be frank, it’s still too soon to confirm the KOUP for production but I can tell you Spectra (‘Cerato’ in many markets) is scheduled for a complete makeover this coming year and as you know we have both a sedan and 5-door versions for Spectra. 

Let’s speculate a bit about how we could proceed with the KOUP design shown at NYIAS.  For sure what was shown is a design direction that’s being considered for mass production.  We strongly suggested as much during the press conference.  What we mean by design direction is that you could expect to see the same profile and design themes like the ‘swoosh’ and ‘checkmark’ on the outside and some of the key interior elements.

Our thinking naturally would be to appeal to as many people as possible in the market for an affordable vehicle.  To that end we would target the compact sporty coupe segment and appeal to those who look favorably on the Scion tC and Honda Civic coup, thus a young demographic who places a high value on style and fuel efficiency and not only on high performance.

Concept cars are designed to stretch the thinking of both designer and audience so it’s inevitable that not all what was shown in New York will make it to production.  As an example, while 19” wheels and Brembo brakes are cool they aren’t practical in a production car.  And as much as we all love the panoramic-view sunroof, while entirely possible its cost would belie the premise of a low-cost coup.

But some other exciting elements of the design, perhaps surprisingly so, are more practical than they might appear.  The dashboard, instrument cluster, the high-styled door panels and the frameless doors are a good example of what I mean; very forward thinking and very doable.

The KOUP was a fun project for all of us at Kia and we learned a lot about which way we will proceed as we bring to market the next generation of Spectra.  Will the KOUP see the light of day?  Let’s put it this way, all of our concept vehicles have a firm toehold in reality and some are more real than others.  If you take a look back at the concept cars we have shown on the international show circuit these past few years you will find your answer.

By James Kim
Deputy General Manager
New Business Development Team
Hyundai Motor Group (China) Ltd.

For about seven years after joining Hyundai Motor Company, I worked at the Purchasing Division and was in charge of purchases from Japanese equipment makers. In the course of my work, I became acquainted with my Japanese counterparts and now, I am fortunate to call some of them close friends. At the end of February, I met with my Japanese friends, Y and S.

S told me that in talking with Japanese technical staff and other acquaintances that Japanese companies no longer regard their Korean counterparts as a threat because they don’t have the same passion and attitude as before. In the late ‘80s when Japan’s bubble economy was bursting, Japanese companies became wary of Korean firms due to internal and external changes.
 
Y said that in his experience, when making new equipment purchases, Japanese automakers demanded equipment levels required for their situation after undertaking sufficient study and research. On the other hand, he said Korean engineers frequently demanded options for the most up-to-date features, surpassing those asked for by Japanese makers. Y cautiously opined that this passion and eagerness for new technology was a reflection of the culture code of Korean engineers.

But considering how the Japanese frequently distinguish between their public façade (Tatemae) and true feelings (Honne), I pondered over what their comments really meant. Although it may appear strange to Japanese makers who will “even wring out a dry rag,” the Korean culture code that favorably regards a certain level of tolerance may be reflected in the process of deciding specs for research equipment.

A major characteristic of the auto industry is the priority on completion based on strict adherence to rules and cooperation. As such, I believe that to Koreans, the auto industry not only represented the challenge of accumulating new technology and creating a culture of cooperation, but also of revamping Korean companies. Thanks to the advances that have been made, Korea’s auto industry has now reached international levels, especially in terms of production technology and quality.

However, for made-in-Korea cars to be truly recognized by customers worldwide, I feel that Korean automakers still face lofty goals. They need more original product development and have to build a sales system that can impress customers. To achieve these goals, the first step could be the systematic accumulation of know-how or sensibility. My Japanese friend Y had the following to say about sensibility.

A Korean lens maker brought in the latest production equipment with better options than those used by Hoya in an effort to beat the Japanese glass and lens maker. But regardless of the better equipment, the Korean company failed to produce goods of better quality and performance. The president of the Korean company discreetly called in Japanese technical staff to ask the reason for this. Their answer was as follows:

“The final performance of a product is not made by a machine, but by the heart and experience of the engineer who is operating the machine. Some Chinese makers also installed and are using equipment that are more expensive than that of major Japanese makers but are still ending up with quality or performance levels below their expectations. Recently, Chinese engineers have been asking similar questions.”

Kia is undergoing change. Change is being felt in production, sales and headquarters as all Kia employees strive to be designers. Kia employees are thinking harder about the problems they face and ways to overcome them. They are listening more attentively to customers to better accommodate their needs, and are striving to make speedier decisions and action plans.

Our beginnings may appear humble, but I look forward to the day when our combined efforts will prompt my Japanese friends to remark,

“Korean automakers are really something. By having greater flexibility and decision-making than their Japanese peers, Korean companies have achieved amazing results. We really are in awe of Korean makers.”

I believe that Kia will become such a Korean maker.

By Cor Baltus
Managing Director
Kia Netherlands B. V.

As a follow up to my earlier post introducing the Kia Skating Team, I am pleased to share with you this video that explains our skating sponsorship activities in detail as well as some of Kia’s major global sports sponsorships. I hope you enjoy it!