Sports Cars from Korea !!
When shopping for a sports car, Korean car
companies like Hyundai and Kia are not necessarily the first
companies that come to mind. Back in 2003 when Porsche made its entrance into the Korean
markets, much attention was received but in terms of sales figures, Porsche did not hit the mark they were
hoping. But along with the entrance of other luxury super sports car brands like
Maserati and Ferrari, many of the “well to do” Koreans began to grow a liking to
the look and sound that these pampering roadsters provided.
However, it wasn’t before long until the auto
lovers in Korea wanted more. Before I get into the more recent sports car endeavors from the
more popular Kia and Hyundai, let’s take this time to talk
about what many consider to be Korea’s first original,luxury, high-performance
sports car. Oullim Motors of Korea released the Spirra
EX to the Korean market in November of 2009. The 2009 model came equipped with a
2.7 Liter V6 DOHC twin turbo engine that generated a whopping 480 horse power.
The Spirra EX was Oullim’s first hand-made car and the front air dam, side
skits, rear diffuser and engine cover were all crafted by carbon fiber. The
development of this model was reported to have taken around 10 years and the CEO
of Oullim Motors, Dong-hyuk Park,
stated that he “believes that it is time that Spirra and other Korean auto
manufacturers are capable of manufacturing with excellence” at the 2009
reveal.
The Spirra EX
The Spirra EX rear view
The Spirra EX bird’s eye view
The twin turbo engine
The Spirra EX interior
Whether it was other Korean manufacturers heeding
to either Park’s call to “manufacture with excellence” or to meet the growing
demand and interest from consumers, Hyundai had already began to change up and
revamp their compact sporty coupes since 2005. Then we saw the debut of the Veloster
in Frankfurt in 2007.
According to Korean press the new Veloster
coupe will be geared with a turbocharged 1.6L engine that packs 200
horsepower under the hood. The updated model is expected to be the very first Hyundai vehicle to feature a twin-clutch
gearbox as well. The entry-level model is set to go on sale in Europe early next
year, but the US is expected to have to wait until the latter half of 2011 for
it to hit markets. Prices have not been confirmed.
The Veloster that debuted in Frankfurt 2007, Front
Veloster Rear
And then the 2008 release of Hyundai’s rear-wheel drive sports coupe,
the Genesis Coupe. The
current higher performance model packs in 306 horsepower with a 3.8 liter V6
engine. Although there have been official updates about the exterior and
interior, play-auto.net, themotorreport.com and autcarnews.com (well known auto
blog communities), are confident that the biggest upgrade for the 2012 model
will be done under the hood. Many expect it to have a new 5.0L V8 engine that
packs in 429 horsepower and that the new Genesis Coupe will be a
competitor to the Ford Mustang
Shelby GT500! But we will just have to wait until later this year to see the
official updates from Hyundai.
Genesis Coupe 2012, Front
Genesis Coupe 2012 Rear
Genesis Coupe 2012 Interior
Kia Motors has also been making a
buzz in the press expressing their interest in the market for low cost sports cars. Kia’s success came first with their
sedans and then with their sports utility vehicles like the Sorento and
Sportage. With innovative models like Kia’s Tam (a new
model of a box car), high marks in both safety and quality in overseas surveys,
many abroad are waiting to see what these Korean
motor companies will have coming next especially in terms of new stylish
sports roadsters.
advancedtechnologykorea.com
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