| In The Streets of Seoul With Kia (part 2) |
Seoul, Korea -- I couldn't decipher the road signs nor the street names, traffic was nightmarish and most city streets were as tight as alleyways. Yet I experienced one of my greatest moments ever in an automobile as the little Kia Soul took me through downtown Seoul, capital of South Korea and a world-class shopping mecca.
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| Photo: Marc Bouchard/Auto123.com |
Test-driving the Soul right in its backyard was just one part of a mega-tour of Korea set up by the folks at Kia. The fast-rising manufacturer insisted on showing that fate or luck has nothing to do with its overwhelming new success and popularity. They wanted to show exactly what they're made of.
So, a group of four Canadian journalists came to Seoul to not only drive around town but also walk through the corridors of Kia's R&D center -- an ideal opportunity to learn more about the brand and its parent company, Hyundai.
The two indeed share the same laboratories and technologies, although they're trying more and more to attract different types of consumers. Hyundai mainly appeals to families whereas Kia essentially targets young, budget-minded customers with very dynamic designs.
Actually, design was the guiding theme of our trip to Seoul. First, we made a fairly traditional visit to the research department, which isn't insignificant since the general public is usually not allowed here.
We had to agree to a long list of rules, including no cameras. Heck, they even asked us to put a sticker on the camera of our cell phones.
We learned some new things but not anything big. For the record, though, I should tell you that approximately 8,000 employees are working at the R&D center, which spreads over the equivalent of 500 football fields.
For sure, the company uses all the latest technologies, equipment and resources, including a 17-km long test track. However, what we witnessed was nothing more than theoretical evidence (the wind tunnel remained inactive and not a single crash test was performed in front of us). Even worse, a rainstorm cancelled a test-drive of the new Kia Cadenza and Optima. How disappointing!
Fortunately, the rest of the tour proved to be a lot more eventful. We were given the green light to drive the Kia Soul anywhere in the streets of Seoul. Jason, a young Korean-born student from California, acted as our precious guide.
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| Photo: Marc Bouchard/Auto123.com |