Although you may never have heard of the Busan International Motor Show, it truly is the place to spot the wild and whacky of the automotive industry. From the funky dog-carrying Hyundai Casper to the Kia Ray mobile library, it may be only a small event – with just six major manufacturers in attendance – but it really does provide an interesting look at the Korean car market.
Join us for a walk around the show hall - and see just what we're missing out on in Europe.
Hyundai Casper
Hyundai's stand included some models we don’t get in Europe. We absolutely love the Hyundai Casper city car, which shares a lot of its mechanicals with the Hyundai i10 but is a size smaller still. It was presented here as a tiny van for carrying dogs (although perhaps not a St Bernard) but it is normally a four-seater.
It’s cheap, it’s funky and there’s an EV version coming, which would be less onerous for European CO2 fleet averages than the current combo of a 1.0-litre petrol engine and a four-speed (yes, really) torque-converter automatic. Also, check out those delightful steelies. Come on, Hyundai, you know you want to…
Hyundai Staria
It has been around for a few years, but the Hyundai Staria still looks like it’s from the future. More basic versions are available, but it was presented here in full executive shuttle spec, complete with folding tables, captain’s chairs and a widescreen display in the back.
You can get it in some European markets and Hyundai UK might consider bringing it over once the electric version arrives. Even in hybrid or diesel form, it would be fantastic competitor for the Volkswagen Multivan.
Hyundai's hydrogen HGVs
Manufacturer presence at the Busan motor show was limited to just Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, and, somewhat surprisingly, the BMW Group. Hyundai was obviously the star of the show, offering the first opportunity for the public to poke around the new Ioniq 6. That wasn’t the only vehicle there, though.
For Europeans, it’s easy to forget that Hyundai doesn't just make passenger cars: it makes about every type of motor vehicle imaginable. That includes heavy goods vehicles and buses. At the Busan motor show it was showcasing hydrogen fuel cell versions of one of its buses and lorries.
Hyundai has plans to offer this Xcient rigid truck in Europe. It can travel around 250 miles on a tank and takes about eight to 20 minutes to refuel.
Rare classics in Korea
Spend any time on the streets of Seoul or Busan and it’s immediately striking that there are no old cars. Partly that is the result of low-emission zones, but partly it’s because Korea used to have some fierce import tariffs and restrictions, so European and American classics were never imported in period.
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