Just like Chrysler and GM. Does not seem to have slowed them down.
franc123,
Dec 23, 5:33am
That outfits needed a bullet behind the ear for years. Been building sub par products that people don't really want None of those Korean outfits really know how to make cars properly, especially what's left of GM Daewoo. I don't care how marvelous anybody thinks their Hyundai or Kia is either, it simply isn't.
serf407,
Dec 23, 6:09am
How about Paddon's South Korean Kona out of Cromwell (with global parts etc)?
i did read a few headlines and i did not read any. but one called it Restructuring .
gedo1,
Dec 25, 9:37pm
Well, that over-rides world wide opinions as far as Kia and Hyundai are concerned. Merry Christmas!
gazzat22,
Dec 25, 10:18pm
Franc its the power of Marketing and Price."Never mind the quality,Feel the width"
franc123,
Dec 25, 11:27pm
Well Hyundai did emphasise the quality of their products, remember a few years back they were banging on about paint quality and what tests they put their engines through in those TV ads? Any company that does that has had criticism of these things in the past and is aware they're not as good as the opposition.
v_shark,
Dec 25, 11:57pm
Merry Christmas everyone!
Re Korean cars: I used to work for Auckland council. Back in the day (2005 to about 2007) they had a fleet of Kia Rios. At motorway speeds they would physically shake. Anything above 80km/h they felt unsafe to drive. Plus they would break down all the time. When Kia came out with with their Stinger and touted it as a successor for the Holden Commodore SS I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Any company that made the 2004 Kia Rio should not be trusted to make a premium product. Seriously, it was that bad. I know people and companies can and should improve. But if you ever drove a first generation Rio on the motorway, you literally felt like you were gambling with your life.
cjohnw,
Dec 26, 1:28am
Have you driven the V6 twin turbo Stinger?
trogedon,
Dec 26, 1:57am
Doug Demuro thinks it's pretty good.
socram,
Dec 26, 4:02am
We'd laugh at the model T Ford today. But the big test is whether or not companies learn and improve.
I'm still wary of Chinese built cars, based on the poor quality of many metal tools from China, but is that a fair comparison? Twist drills that bend. Philip's screwdrivers that snap even with my puny strength. Square drive bits that round off. Wood chisels that need sharpening just about every time you use them, and so on.
tgray,
Dec 26, 7:53am
I am very impressed with late model Kia's. They have come a very long way in the last decade.
cjohnw,
Dec 26, 8:21am
The twin turbo V6 Stinger is really a very impressive vehicle. Performs as well, if not better, in acceleration and handling as any Commodore SS I have owned (I have owned 4 incl an R8) but possibly not quite in top end speed but not by much. The Kia was just as well appointed inside and the quality is actually better than any Holden I have owned - but admittedly a touch behind the higher end euros like Audi and Mercedes. Holden finishes were never that salubrious. I do not agree with the comment above about the Stinger in relation to the Commodore. In my opinion the V6 Stinger is a superb vehicle and amply comparable to the SS Commodore. I was literally millimetres away from buying one.
franc123,
Dec 27, 1:34am
I'd wager that Stinger isnt long for the world, global sales have been crap and the only thing that's really good about it is that its rear drive or AWD, its otherwise bland and wrong in a weirdly clinical way, being a liftback with no manual option certainly hasn't helped it. Neither has the fact it's got no pedigree and it's not the prettiest thing to look at either. Hyundais previous attempts at making sporty cars have always bombed.
bitsy_boffin,
Dec 27, 2:24am
Strange fact about SsangYong, in the late 80s they bought out Panther Westwinds a UK company that produced mainly classic inspired cars, and then started producing Panther Kallistas (Morgan-esque with aluminium body, steel chassis, ford running gear, with a mix of some MG and other BL parts in places) under the SsangYong brand ( http://carsot.com/ssangyong/kallista/ssangyong-kallista-1992-1994-cabriolet.html )
IIRC there was some weird shipping thing going on where there were containers that would otherwise be empty being used to ship parts and cars to and from Korea, like the cars had a two way journey or something from memory, parts manufactured in the UK, shipped to Korea for assembly, and shipped back to the UK, or the other way around, something like that.
meow_mix,
Dec 27, 3:15am
In years gone past, Kia had a reputation comparable to Daewoo, as in uninspiring second-rate cars. The Stinger is a "halo car" designed to lift people's perception of Kia, so your kids will grow up saying "I want a Kia". The Japs used to be very good at this sort of thing, so we got cool cars like the Mitsi Galant VR-4. I'm sure Hyundai are preparing some sort of weapon to lift perceptions of the brand.
cjohnw,
Dec 27, 4:27am
I hear the i30N is quite an impressive “hot hatch”. Haven’t had any first hand experience sadly.
to put it in to prospective before fake news . if we would wind back and apply fake news to the olden days. Then ssangyoung also filed for bankruptcy when they sold The mb140 mercedes ssangyoung istana van. filed for bankruptcy no more parts then the chinese purchased the tools and made it under the maxus Ldv brand for china only . I guess thats how parts started to become available after years of no parts availability after this fake news bankruptcy. Not that you would need parts and the parts that i did need i modified like rear brakes are from a landcruiser and a waterpump from the sprinter. during no parts times.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.