Is korean car really getting much attention nowadays.. why?.

[niky]

-with all due respect sir, mahina pa rin daw kalidad ng Korean vehicles especially in the long run based on my friends assessment. One friend of mine owns a 2006 Hyundai Matrix and a 2005 Starex..Yung isa May Kia RIo 06 at Kia Sportage. Yung Sta. Fe daw maganda talaga---ang itsura---pero di maganda ang presyo dahil mahinang clase kumpara sa mga SUV ng Japan (he drove a Sta. Fe in the States). He also got to see a Sta. Fe in the Philippines na nabangga, tanggal ang buong harap, parang nayuping lata ng sardinas. Kabanggaan, L200 pickup. Warak pati radiator. L200, nayupi lang yung stepboard sa likod. Sayang ang 1.3 million.

Crumple zone. In other crashes, the Santa Fe has had very little damage done to it, while the other car was totalled.

-Pero no doubt, maganda ang design ng Hyundai-Kia ( Maganda ang new Starex at Sta. Fe.). Yung nga lang, talo in the long run. Yung spareparts daw mahirap kasi puro CBU. So mahirap ang maintenance in the long run.

I wouldn't say mahirap... you just have to wait. But we're talking original parts here. Yes, you can buy replacement parts for not very much for some Japanese makes, but how long do they last? I once went through three different brake masters before wising up and saying "to heck with it." I bought an original manufacturer part, and didn't have any problems at all afterwards.

-resale value mababa. One of my friends has a 2005 Hyundai Starex. Yari sya. Makalampag na. hanap piyesa.alang makuha. Kung meron, grabe presyo. Binenta, ang baba daw ng presyo nung nakuha sa kanya. Yung Kia picanto 2006 nuong isa ala pa sa kalahati presyo. Lugi ng maibenta.

2006? Kalahati? A lot of Picantos are going for just 100k off of brand new. Besides... who sells a car after just one year? Depreciation is always worst in the first year.

One issue for me for the Starex is the quality of the interior trim, seems to come loose easily... but then, the Starex is an old design, it's not the most modern Korean... in fact, it's been overdue for replacement for years.

--Maraming daw plastic component ang Hyundai-Kia (e.g. even a Hyundai Galloper)

The Galloper is old.

Look at new Japanese cars. Like the others have said... the Outlander is a great vehicle, but the doors are solid plastic (hard plastic... very disappointing, coming from Mitsubishi, which often has nice interiors)... the Yaris has unfinished and sharp plastic panels on its doors, and the dashboard looks like it was assembled by Orocan. The Mazda3 is well-built, but the plastics are hard, and the sunvisors are very cheap vinyl. The Honda Civic is decently screwed together, too, but it's full of hard plastic.

The new CR-V has a loose painted plastic door handle on the inside, instead of the rubber-covered ones they used to have. Even the Subaru Legacy, when we had it, had its share of loose, bad plastic (door handles, too).

In the US, one major complaint about Toyotas is the decline in quality in interior plastics and fitment... even on the Camry.

-In the Philippines, as of 2007, according to CAMPI, nasa tailend ang sales ng Hyundai dito.

-They suggested if you have a 600T pesos or more, go to the reliable marque especially with local versions (i.e. CKD) Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Ford-Mazda.

--Sorry to say this, my conclusion, hyped lang ang Hyundai-Kia sa Pinas.

Perceptions affect sales. If you go by sales, you'd have to say that the old Vios is the best car in the universe (cramped, terrible automatics, old-fashioned) and the L300 FB is the most advanced that Japan has to offer...

-----

Yes, The Koreans have their bugbears, but they're getting better. And the Japanese aren't perfect. Note the trim issues Honda seems to have every now and then... the soft shocks of the Altis... bushing and bearing issues with Mazda products... the collapsing ball joints of mid-90's Galants... the self-destructive ATs of old Mazdas, Hondas, Mitsus... hell, every Japanese manufacturer. That's one thing US buyers don't like about secondhand Japanese cars, very weak automatics.

Or we could talk about fuel pump issues for the Toyota Innova and Fortuner, rear axle recalls for the Innova, or the combustible Innovas, L300s or CR-Vs... ;)

Not so long ago, Honda Civics were notorious for being rust-prone, and there was a big issue about cracking windshields on EF Civics in the US.

Times change. Products change. Back in the 70's, you wouldn't believe that Toyota and Honda would be two of the most respected and reliable automakers on the planet.

Just twenty years ago, most Hyundai products were pure crap.

Just ten years ago, Hyundai's engine technology (homegrown, no longer just borrowed stuff from Mitsubishi) was very poor... but the strange thing is, even the supposedly most unreliable of Hyundais from that time, the Coupe, can last a long time if properly cared for. A friend just sold his two or three years ago... no major problems, loved the car to death, but it was too small for his family.

Just five years ago, you wouldn't believe that Hyundai would be a top automaker... now, they're knocking on the doors of the big boys as the sixth largest automaker in the world.

-----

Personally, Hyundai's gasoline engines still aren't quite there yet. They're not as fuel efficient as Toyota and Honda gasoline engines (but what is?) and they're not as powerful, either. But in terms of diesel technology, Hyundai is very competitive.

The plastics and build quality are a concern, but, like I said, Japanese interiors aren't that hot, anymore, either.

[Horsepower]

Yup, it's hard to base brand quality on the Sales here in the Philippines as Filipinos aren't exactly that knowledgeable when it comes to cars and technology. hehe.

Sobrang konti lang ang technically inclined among car buyers. Heck most don't even know how exactly an engine works. LOL.

Filipino mentality is majority mentality. They always go for what is popular (which more often has good marketing than technology under the hood).

Good thing I'm not a mindless conformist but then again ignorance must be a bliss for those.

[tagarito]

Perceptions affect sales.

Pero bakit ganun, niky? Napakalaki ng potential ng Korean motor industry na mag-dominate sa Philippine Automotive industry. Pinatunayan ito ng Hyundai sa kanilang Starex. Samakatuwid, ano ang pagkukulang ng Korean makes dito sa Pilipinas at hindi sila makaangat? Or, kung ang mga tagarito ang may pagkukulang, paano marerealize ng Pilipino na may ibang options out there that are better than what they were used to? Remember the Daewoo Racers and Hyundai Excels and Kia Prides of yesteryear.

Filipino mentality is majority mentality.

Mawalang galang lang po horsepower, ano po ang solusyon sa "I go when you go" mentality na ito? Paano malalaman ng tagarito sa Pinas na ang popular is not necessarily the best?

[oldblue]

The Toyota is a very popular brand. I like to keep it that way. gusto ko low-profile lang mga Hyundais.

but somehow, nagugulat ako kasi 1 year lang since bumili kami, parang ambilis niya sumikat

[niky]

[QUOTE=tagarito;931350]Pero bakit ganun, niky? Napakalaki ng potential ng Korean motor industry na mag-dominate sa Philippine Automotive industry. Pinatunayan ito ng Hyundai sa kanilang Starex. Samakatuwid, ano ang pagkukulang ng Korean makes dito sa Pilipinas at hindi sila makaangat? Or, kung ang mga tagarito ang may pagkukulang, paano marerealize ng Pilipino na may ibang options out there that are better than what they were used to? Remember the Daewoo Racers and Hyundai Excels and Kia Prides of yesteryear. [quote]

The Kia Pride actually had both positive and negative effects on the reputation of Korean cars. It was relatively sturdy and very cheap to run, but because it became a taxi fleet darling, it reinforced the idea of people that Korean cars were disposable... The Kia Pride was, I believe, the best-selling Korean car of all time. It was crude, yes, and simple... but a car that's economical and can be maintained for peanuts is hard to beat.

The Starex ruled the market because it was cheap.

In other words, the previous Starex was cheaper than any comparable Japanese vehicle (Previa, Odyssey... which we don't have here). For so long, when we wanted vans here, we had to settle for ridiculously overpriced American-style minivans, gas-powered Japanese minivans, or we had to make do with Japanese box vans, which were uncomfortable, crude, and unsafe.

But if you gain customers merely because you're cheap, they'll defect to the next cheapest thing that comes along. To keep customers, Korean makers have to show that they're not just cheap, but dependable and desirable.

Good design, engineering and engines help make many Korean cars more desirable. But only time and experience will show how dependable new Korean cars are. They're not perfect, but they're getting better.

[woulfe27]

Korean cars have improved substantially in the past decade with regard to reliability, safety, and design.

I guess the question is:

How would you compare the reliability of a 10-year old Korean car with that of a 10-year old Japanese car, assuming that both cars are cared for very well and are subjected to the same road and usage conditions?

Because in the Phlippines, many people cannot afford to buy new cars every 4 or 5 years.

[niky]

Good question.

Ask me in ten years...

Over that span of time, there are a zillion things that can happen.

I've seen Corollas need replacement of engine mounts, shocks and bushings in less than four years.

And I've seen Corollas survive without any underbody problems for fifteen.

It all depends on how the owner uses them. ;)

[suv]

Ano yung trim na issue sa honda?

Pero ok na mga korean cars ngayon. Mga tucson na lang eh

[LadyRider]

The Toyota is a very popular brand. I like to keep it that way. gusto ko low-profile lang mga Hyundais.

but somehow, nagugulat ako kasi 1 year lang since bumili kami, parang ambilis niya sumikat

Tama yan Sir Oldblue! Even the price of our units, wala pang isang taon nagsi-taasan na ang mga presyo!

I don't even think that those Korean car companies will be willing to give 5 years warranty kung hindi sila bilib sa mga produkto nila diba?

Korean car makers have European consultants already coming from mainstream producers of luxury European car brands!

Sa totoo lang, sa pagkakaalam ko, threat nga ang Hyundai sa Toyota ngayon kase nga pinasok na rin nga Hyundai ang iba't ibang car types! Tignan na lang ninyo, ang Victory Liner Bus Company is already using Hyundai buses for their new fleet! Dun pa lang proud na ako to be a Hyundai car owner!

Ibig sabihin nun e talagang maganda ang performance ng Hyundai. I know the taste of the Victory Liner family when it comes to buses kaya if its Hyundai that they chose, it must be really good!

[empy]

the 5 year warranty (10 year here in the US) is somewhat of a defensive manuever for the Korean carmakers. since their initial offerings had extremely poor quality, they have had to offer shockingly good warranties to their buyers just for the market to give them another chance. to their credit, the quality has much improved since the 1990's, but i'm willing to bet that they are losing money on those warranty terms. pero no choice sila, and i applaud them for doing whatever it takes to keep themselves competitive.

for reliability, i know i sound like a broken record on this, but we have to look at studies like JD Power or Consumer Reports. all automakers have flawless units and lemons - what's important is their performance across the whole fleet. it's not a valid comparison to compare your mom's Hyundai to your neighbor's cousin's Toyota.