Korean Upsurge

Looking at the picture? What does it convey to you? It definitely isn’t a modern day Edsa revoltion symbol, wherein the kid innocently reaches for, well, a yellow Hyundai Veloster.

The picture for me paints a thousand words, in our case, it coveys to us numerous conclusions and a swift analysis on how the Korean cars have evolved through the years.

Remember the Kia Pride, in all its compact glory, occassinally you would see one breaking down at the street, remember the numerous Korean SUVs in the 90’s which was so awful looking that Top gear and US based magazines would often poke fun on, remember that MB100 which really had a bad reputation for smoke belching and the tractor-like noise it emitted as you probably was waiting for your “sundo” at the school parking lot. Remember that Korean car, which your you and your dad, and probably some friends would talk about, and most often, words like unreliable, ugly, low resale value would sprout, and at the end of the day, after such an easy debate, you would rather buy that Corolla or Civic. For years, Korean cars had a bad reputation, as said earlier, it was the poster child for everything undesirable about a car, the noise, weak parts, low value and design that was a bit odd and off as compared to its Japanese and European counterparts.

Fast forward 20 years after. It’s summer vacation, you’re probably on your way to the beach now with friends and family in a Hyundai Starex, sleek and stylish, easily at par with its Japanese counterparts. You may be with your girlfriend or wife about to have dinner, in your new Elantra or Accent, with its styling and value much recognized by the US and UK market as one of best so far, the boss you either hate or revere so much is probably driving the Kia Sportage with its known LED DRLs with has benefitted so much from Kia’s EX-VW designer. You’ll also be probably stuck in traffic on Tuesday and take note as I tell you that a Tucson exists at every street or avenue. The picture above for me symbolizes the clear emergence of the Korean car market. The mere fact that its one of the stars at the MIAS going head to head it terms of Sq-foot display with Subaru, Ford, Bmw and Benz is a clear indicator that, truly times have changed ( Note: Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsu I think were demoted to less than stellar display areas) . The mere fact that Hyundai can ride the wave of the green, compact and sporty models is a sign of progress, that they can easily adjust to the market and not only be dictated by merely “just” making a profit for a certain model. The mere fact that their cars such as the Veloster or even the Sonata/Genesis have received attention from car enthusiasts magazines and most importantly aftermarket support from various US, Japanese, and UK parts manufacturers.

Remember your conversation with a friend or your dad as you say:

“Hmmm, maybe in 6-10 years, we can buy a Korean car, by then it’s as reliable and high-tech as a Japanese car”

Maybe that time is now.

Car Clubs aren't just couples going for a Fun Run.

Just a few days ago, I had a slight argument with a boards officer regarding  a change in payment schemes on our usual paid ads. Maybe it was just summer abnd the heat was getting to us, maybe it was just the workload or the pressure as we try to cram everything before the long vacation comes, or maybe it was his approach, which I really find so different from our past encounters with the said group. Just like a Hotel, when you keep on coming back, the staff will treat you well, just like on a resto, when you keep on coming back, they will give you utmost respect and give in to small requests, when you’ve been known to go back and always purchase bags or clothes from a store, they appreciate your business and provide you with the best service they can render. To cut in short, it was different and come to think of it, it was partly not his fault, rather, it was the system.

The system I am referring to is the government which clubs and organizations are all subjected to. Most often, if you think about it, Car Clubs are the most basic form of an emerging government or political entity. From the start, just a couple of guys meeting at an empty parking lot on a Sunday, all meeting with a common interest, they were formed as usual, by the internet, meeting at the forums, chemistry and sparks everywhere and there you have it, from a good 5-10 members maybe in a few months they’ll be filling the whole parking lot, and in no time, will be the apple of the eye of the security guards. It usually evolves that way. When there are guys forming a group, it’s inevitable that a website or forum shall be created, and from there money is needed to run it. It’s also need to fund outings and whatever expenses that huge get-togethers are usually subjected to. Cash is then collected from the members, the more members they have, obviously the more money is collected. There is a greater amount of responsibility this time and in time, officers and moderators are elected to distribute the tasks evenly. Within such governance, within the funds collected and the hunger for leadership, I’m pretty sure problems arise here and there; in between members and in between officers. Because officers only have a limited term, when the new ones take over, there is so much conflict going on since he has to adjust to a lot of stuff, he has to adjust to the board sponsors, he has to reconciliate himself with the new officers and existing members which probably in the past he had a conflict with, he probably has new rules which he would like to suggest, a few changes here and there etc etc. From here this is where the problem starts.

As a basic form of government, it probably does not have a transitional period. From here, we appreciate a “government”, and how it could have started. That it has a lot going on in it, and more complex than we think it is. Because ultimately car groups aren’t as simple as bunch of happy friends going for a fun-run and meeting at Tagaytay for breakfast, groups are composed of dozens upon dozens of minds from different walks of life, groups are supposed to meet regularly and be productive, to thrive and evolve through the years, it is supposed to be a pool of ideas, a marketplace to spark much interest and hopefully avoid meeting a natural death caused commonly by disinterest and mismanagement.