The biggest difference b/w the Genesis Coupe and the Tiburon (Tuscanni in Korea), is that the Genesis is rear-wheel drive (rwd) while the Tiburon is FWD. Also, it has been rumoured that the Genesis Coupe will be available with an optional V-8 engine (although I doubt this).
Hyundai has said that it plans to sell both the Genesis Coupe AND an updated version of the Tiburon (although I really doubt this)
I’ve been checking out the Korean language car blogs, and no-one is convinced that the new luxury cars from Hyundai will ever sell due to poor brand and country image. And I have to agree with that. No matter how good the car is, that slanted H logo will stop potential overseas buyers from opening their wallets. The consensus seems to be Hyundai made a mistake not creating another separate brand on its own named Genesis, and distance itself as far away as it can from the parent brand.
In order for Hyundai to be successful in the U.S. and Europe, they need to follow the 110/80 rule. Provide 110% of the product for only 80% of the price. That is the only way people in developed nations will risk spending their hard earned money on a Hyundai.
To be fair, Hyundai cars are now very reliable and well equipped. Some stuff, like standard safety features, are very competitive vs. what’s available on the market. However, the image of cheaply made and unreliable cars, largely unfair at this point, continues to haunt this nameplate.
In order to beat this very formidable hurdle, Hyundai essentially needs to provide a car that is 110% better then it’s nearest benchmark for only 80% of the price. Unfortunately, Hyundai very rarely accomplishes this. Look at the Sonata (which I test drove). It’s about 80% less then a Camry, but only about 90% of the car. Thus, the Sonata doesn’t sell well in the U.S. In fact, I’d say that the Azera (which I’ve also test driven) is about 110% of the Camry, but it is also about 110% of the price. Thus, you don’t have a lot of Azera’s sold in the states either. I really don’t see any differences in terms of value between a standard Azera and a V6, luxury model Camry. Between the two, I think most people will buy the souped up Camry.
Where Hyundai tends to excel is not in creating cars that go head to head with a Japanese benchmark, but in situations where it creates a niche car that doesn’t have a ton of competition in the industry. This is generally Saturn and VW’s strategy and it has served them well.
However, being the next VW or Saturn doesn’t fit with Chung Mong Koo’s huge ego. He’d rather fire North American division CEO’s who give them good (and similar) advice instead of actually listening to them.
Korean car manufacturers would do well to bring back small cars that use very little gas. It really is a shame there isn’t a Matiz with all sorts of bling installed.
wangkon and all other fellow gyopos, you know I speak the truth when I say that gyopos love to drive Japanese cars and also say shit about Japan regarding every subject.
Get off your Honda/Toyota.
Next time, buy a Hyundai.
I can say this.
I own a 2006 Hyundai.
i drove a civic by borrowing, a subaru impreza by rental, and usually drive an Elantra.
despite the gadgets, I hate the Civic, because it hugs the floor, and the handle is tiny, and I don’t like the two stage dash board.
the impreza is nice with the sport mode and the + and - pseudo stick mode,
But, overall, I don’t think the Hyundai is 80% of these cars.
The elantra is a much better buy and 95% of the car that both above are, in my opinion.
regardless, gyopos keep buying Japanese.
they don’t really have a right to talk, because they don’t walk the walk.
Well, wjk has a point there. Overseas Koreans(sorry didn’t mean to generalize) are not exactly fond of Korean brand cars. I once heard a story that a Korean is considered “stupid and dumb” if he/she buys/rents a Korean brand car during his/her time overseas.
Sure, I’d drive a Hyundai. As long as they change the name to something else and get rid of the ugly slanted H logo. I’m afraid Hyundai will never ever get rid of its attached stigma as long as it remains a Hyundai. They can make the greatest car in the world and that still wouldn’t be enough to get rid of the Third World car joke reputation. The Japanese maker Datsun changed their name to Nissan, an example that Hyundai should follow.
Along with gyopos buying jap cars, when I was in grad school, all of the korean grad students that I knew drove Hondas except one (Toyota).
I’m convinced of Hyundai’s quality. But the styling still has a way to go before I’d want to buy one. Too curvy. Luckily, I don’t need to buy a car. I have a nice BMW: Bus-Metro-Walking.
Luxury cars are, to some extent at least, about projecting a certain image - i.e. that you can afford such a car. That image is properly projected when you roll up to the country club in your Audi or your Lexus, but not so much when you roll up in a Hyundai.
Of course, in the event that you don’t give a damn about what other people think, the Hyundai Grandeur (or whatever it’s called Stateside) is probably a perfectly fine car. But then, if you don’t care about your image, why not just buy a Camry?
FYI fellas, I don’t drive a car made in Asia or America.
I test drove a few Hyundais. Briefly thought of buying an Azera for my dad until I found it that it’s basically a little bigger Camry with a V6 engine. Rolls on the road like a bitch just coming out of bed and it doesn’t accelerate immediately. Two more grand and a little wrangling and an Acura TL could of been bought so why bother? A TL is a 20% better car for less then 10% more…
I’d also agree that most people that I see driving a Hyundai are white or black. Koreans, we generally don’t want to save 10% more for 20% less car, that’s why we don’t buy Hyundais. The day that Hyundai gives us Koreans living in America 20% more car for the same price we pay for a Toyota or a Honda is the day you’ll see more Korean Americans in Korean built cars. The funny thing is, most Koreans start with American cars when they first come to America (like my dad and his huge Olds Cutlass Supreme comes to mind) then find out they are crap and switch to Japanese.
my 1995 Hyundai Accent is still fine and reliable, despite 12 years of my using it like a jeep, forcing it up steep rough mountain roads in search of shrines…
Not breaking out a distinct luxury brand, a la Lexus, Acura et al., is really going to kick them in the ass. What were they thinking? They’ve followed the Japanese “benchmark” this far.
I saw a Genesis (not coupe) in a showroom the other day, and while it was in a Hyundai showroom it was branded with a distinct (albeit not very good) “Genesis” logo.
The main point from my view was that was as with the similarity between the current Sonata/Grandeur models it really didn’t look much different or better than the Grandeur but was almost twice the price.
I didn’t go inside so maybe it has lots of bells and whistles…but!!!1
I currently drive a Japanese car, always drove Japanese because that’s what everyone says are the best. But my next purchase which will be soon, I’ve decided consciously not to buy Japanese as a protest toward mass collectivism. Having said that, I won’t buy Hyundai because their brand image is bad. Nor will I buy American - with their poor after service and their ugly unappealing styles. My next car will be German.
I absolutely agree with cm as to Hyundai’s image and styling. It’s the same with Samsung mobile phones. Even though they have the best technology in the world, they’re distant number 2 or 3 behind Nokia and sometimes Motorola. I actually wrote to Samsung Chairman, Lee Kunhee, a few years ago, that they need to improve their design to make them look more appealing internationally and I also wrote how he could do that, but it doesn’t appear that he took my advice, although it is possible his secretaries decided not to tell him about my letter.
That’s why it’s going to be leased instead of financed. Use it for 3 years (during which the warranty covers everything), then return it and get another new one. I would never finance European cars. Their reliability is the worst (now imagine Hyundai had the same reliability issues -they’d be trashed). But since it European, gives you an ego stoke.
I have to say that Korean brands are better and better received in the States, esp LG, Samsung and yes, Hyundai. That’s at least in California. Ask about Hyundais and you’re likely to hear “The new ones are supposed to be really good.”
I wish they’d come out with a hybrid or super-efficient car; that’d make headlines here and do wonders for the brand.
Even LG had the good sense to change their name, though. Do we really think that LG would be as successful as it is if they were still rocking the GoldStar label?
most gyopos don’t buy Korean manufactured goods, they buy Japanese ones.
gyopos contribute to the Korean economy by tourism in Korea, sending money as aid to blood relatives Korea, and laundering money to Korea, involving blood relatives.
I would limit the Japanese brand loyalty of gyopos with just cars. How many Japanese refrigerators and washing machines are there out there?
Gyopos also tend to be more loyal to Korea when it comes to home electronics and cell phones.
Gyopos laundering money for Korean relatives… no never… I don’t know what you are talking about! All those pristine Korean businesses in downtown LA with no customers stay in business through, errrr… internet sales and stuff.
‘…they’re (sic) distant number 2 or 3 behind Nokia and sometimes Motorola. I actually….’
‘Phones have been a bright spot for Samsung, which last year surpassed Motorola Corp. of the United States as the world’s second-largest manufacturer.’ report from the ap dated today
Also the fact that Nokia has that huge lead because they sell dirt cheap phones with razor thin margins in India, Latin America and China and Samsung, LG and Motorola has decided not to play in that field (for the time being).
I actually wrote to Samsung Chairman, Lee Kunhee, a few years ago, that they need to improve their design to make them look more appealing internationally and I also wrote how he could do that, but it doesn’t appear that he took my advice, although it is possible his secretaries decided not to tell him about my letter.
What kind of a person sends a letter to Lee Kun Hee and expects him to read it?
In no particular order;
1) Has no idea how the real world works
2) A major Samsung customer or supplier
3) A member of the Samsung Lee clan
4) Huh Kyung-young
I was having a meeting with Jay Jordan, the Chairman of one of the largest private equity funds in the world with about $20 billion under management and he got and read a letter that was addressed to a “Michael Jordan” in an ordinary white envelope. So not only was it in a humble package, but his name was mispelled also. Now, granted that private equity firms have much thinner staff because they manage money, not people and infrastructure, so there isn’t some admin person pouring through letters all day separating the wheat from the chaff, but I’m just saying, you never know.
Also, I think there is a story where some joe schmo sent Warren Buffett a letter and Warren actually responded personally! All I’m saying is however unlikely it is, you never know… Mr. Lee Kun Hee could have barbarian’s letter and reading aloud to his chief design guy while the poor schmuck is pouring Lee another shot of premium scotch. The design guy probably knows that Lee will pound his fist in the table about good design and all that while he’s got some scotch in him, then forget all the while as long as he doesn’t get mad while he’s drunk.
Or he could get too much scotch in his system, put down the obviously long letter after reading less than a quarter of it, then decide to go to bed. In the meantime, the design guy will either destroy the letter or switch it with something else that says “Your products are great!”
By far a more likely scenario… Given that Lee was so suprised in the early 90’s that Samsung products were resigned to the bargin cheapo section of electronics departments here in the states, there appears to be an asymetrical information exchange between him and the help.
I think pawi is right… samsung has overtaken Motorola, at least temporarily.
Motorola is going after the poor country markets too, but not as hard or as successfully as Nokia. Nokia dominates there. Also, Nokia is king in Europe. Samsung is trying to do better there.
Anyways, Warren Buffet is a person who gives the impression of being down to earth so yeah I can imagine him personally answering some letters from the ordinary Joe.
But chaebol chieftains with their imperial style of doing things, answering a letter from the ordinary guy on the street? Or more accurately their secretaries letting a letter like that through? Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of how they work knows that sending a letter like that to a chaebol CEO is the same as throwing it into an incinerator. Of course if you are a high ranking government official or a major customer, that’s a different story.
“Even LG had the good sense to change their name, though. Do we really think that LG would be as successful as it is if they were still rocking the GoldStar label?”
LOL. Remember those Goldstar home stereos from the mid to late 80’s? They were basically a small radio-cassette player in a very large plastic box. The speakers were huge but couldn’t have weighed much more than 2 pound each.
“I would limit the Japanese brand loyalty of gyopos with just cars. How many Japanese refrigerators and washing machines are there out there?”
Not many maybe, but then I’ve never seen either a Japanese or Korean refereigerator or washing machine in UK for a gyopo to buy, and I don’t recall many koreans I met in the UK who didn’t either have or want to have a Sony TV, DVD, HiFi, Playstation, Cellphone, etc
Yes, Lucky Goldstar can’t work as a name, and Cuckoo can’t expect much traction either. Sound fine in Korean, not English… Westerners make the same mistakes, like the Chevy Nova in Latin America.
I’d say that Samsung is currently a high or mid/high-end brand in Americans’ minds today and can compete with just about any other brand. LG isn’t so far behind.
________________________
WJK #36: “that’s usually the line I hear from real Americans, not gyopos.”
Gyopos ARE real Americans! I’m first-generation American too, from European parents, so am I not a “real” American? You’re a gyopo, right?
Gyopos are as American as any other Americans. Say it again. Don’t be a freaking racist! Racism is for cowards and morons, so please stop being one.
OK OK, I apologize to WJK; I came off way too harshly. I was typing too fast (as Brendon notes in his blog, “speed kills”), and was in part plagiarizing this poem — at least the coward bit. It’s a kind of racist poem itself. Anyway I knew WJK was a gyopo, but the tamer message I had in mind (like, “you’re just as American as anyone else, dude”) came out all nasty-like. So sorry about that, WJK.
56 Comments
Orange with what looks like a carbon fibre hood? Sure looks like that car is targeting kids with overindulgent parents.
I sincerely hope the Genital Scoop does well.
Kevin
So, how is this different than a Tiburon?
#3 - Wedge,
The biggest difference b/w the Genesis Coupe and the Tiburon (Tuscanni in Korea), is that the Genesis is rear-wheel drive (rwd) while the Tiburon is FWD. Also, it has been rumoured that the Genesis Coupe will be available with an optional V-8 engine (although I doubt this).
Hyundai has said that it plans to sell both the Genesis Coupe AND an updated version of the Tiburon (although I really doubt this)
Cheers!
Should this have a girl leaning against it in order to be blogged about?
I don’t see why they wouldn’t offer a V-8 version when they’ve already announced they’re selling the V-8 on the sedan version.
I’ve been checking out the Korean language car blogs, and no-one is convinced that the new luxury cars from Hyundai will ever sell due to poor brand and country image. And I have to agree with that. No matter how good the car is, that slanted H logo will stop potential overseas buyers from opening their wallets. The consensus seems to be Hyundai made a mistake not creating another separate brand on its own named Genesis, and distance itself as far away as it can from the parent brand.
In order for Hyundai to be successful in the U.S. and Europe, they need to follow the 110/80 rule. Provide 110% of the product for only 80% of the price. That is the only way people in developed nations will risk spending their hard earned money on a Hyundai.
To be fair, Hyundai cars are now very reliable and well equipped. Some stuff, like standard safety features, are very competitive vs. what’s available on the market. However, the image of cheaply made and unreliable cars, largely unfair at this point, continues to haunt this nameplate.
In order to beat this very formidable hurdle, Hyundai essentially needs to provide a car that is 110% better then it’s nearest benchmark for only 80% of the price. Unfortunately, Hyundai very rarely accomplishes this. Look at the Sonata (which I test drove). It’s about 80% less then a Camry, but only about 90% of the car. Thus, the Sonata doesn’t sell well in the U.S. In fact, I’d say that the Azera (which I’ve also test driven) is about 110% of the Camry, but it is also about 110% of the price. Thus, you don’t have a lot of Azera’s sold in the states either. I really don’t see any differences in terms of value between a standard Azera and a V6, luxury model Camry. Between the two, I think most people will buy the souped up Camry.
Where Hyundai tends to excel is not in creating cars that go head to head with a Japanese benchmark, but in situations where it creates a niche car that doesn’t have a ton of competition in the industry. This is generally Saturn and VW’s strategy and it has served them well.
However, being the next VW or Saturn doesn’t fit with Chung Mong Koo’s huge ego. He’d rather fire North American division CEO’s who give them good (and similar) advice instead of actually listening to them.
Rear-wheel drive? Is Hyundai’s offering for the drifting niche?
Korean car manufacturers would do well to bring back small cars that use very little gas. It really is a shame there isn’t a Matiz with all sorts of bling installed.
#4,
Great. Just what we need on Korean roads in winter: a stupid kid in a rear-wheel drive sports car.
#9,
Yes, apparently so. The Tiburon is basically aimed at the ‘tuning’ niche. This is taking the next step.
You’re in luck!
http://www.worldcarfans.com/90.....production
wangkon and all other fellow gyopos, you know I speak the truth when I say that gyopos love to drive Japanese cars and also say shit about Japan regarding every subject.
Get off your Honda/Toyota.
Next time, buy a Hyundai.
I can say this.
I own a 2006 Hyundai.
i drove a civic by borrowing, a subaru impreza by rental, and usually drive an Elantra.
despite the gadgets, I hate the Civic, because it hugs the floor, and the handle is tiny, and I don’t like the two stage dash board.
the impreza is nice with the sport mode and the + and - pseudo stick mode,
But, overall, I don’t think the Hyundai is 80% of these cars.
The elantra is a much better buy and 95% of the car that both above are, in my opinion.
regardless, gyopos keep buying Japanese.
they don’t really have a right to talk, because they don’t walk the walk.
honestly speaking, I saw a lot more Hyundais on the road during my summer road trip from US East Coast to St Paul, Minnesota in the summer.
lots of sonatas and azeras, driven by
whitie.
Well, wjk has a point there. Overseas Koreans(sorry didn’t mean to generalize) are not exactly fond of Korean brand cars. I once heard a story that a Korean is considered “stupid and dumb” if he/she buys/rents a Korean brand car during his/her time overseas.
Sure, I’d drive a Hyundai. As long as they change the name to something else and get rid of the ugly slanted H logo. I’m afraid Hyundai will never ever get rid of its attached stigma as long as it remains a Hyundai. They can make the greatest car in the world and that still wouldn’t be enough to get rid of the Third World car joke reputation. The Japanese maker Datsun changed their name to Nissan, an example that Hyundai should follow.
Along with gyopos buying jap cars, when I was in grad school, all of the korean grad students that I knew drove Hondas except one (Toyota).
I’m convinced of Hyundai’s quality. But the styling still has a way to go before I’d want to buy one. Too curvy. Luckily, I don’t need to buy a car. I have a nice BMW: Bus-Metro-Walking.
Anyway, I’m rooting for them.
Luxury cars are, to some extent at least, about projecting a certain image - i.e. that you can afford such a car. That image is properly projected when you roll up to the country club in your Audi or your Lexus, but not so much when you roll up in a Hyundai.
Of course, in the event that you don’t give a damn about what other people think, the Hyundai Grandeur (or whatever it’s called Stateside) is probably a perfectly fine car. But then, if you don’t care about your image, why not just buy a Camry?
FYI fellas, I don’t drive a car made in Asia or America.
I test drove a few Hyundais. Briefly thought of buying an Azera for my dad until I found it that it’s basically a little bigger Camry with a V6 engine. Rolls on the road like a bitch just coming out of bed and it doesn’t accelerate immediately. Two more grand and a little wrangling and an Acura TL could of been bought so why bother? A TL is a 20% better car for less then 10% more…
I’d also agree that most people that I see driving a Hyundai are white or black. Koreans, we generally don’t want to save 10% more for 20% less car, that’s why we don’t buy Hyundais. The day that Hyundai gives us Koreans living in America 20% more car for the same price we pay for a Toyota or a Honda is the day you’ll see more Korean Americans in Korean built cars. The funny thing is, most Koreans start with American cars when they first come to America (like my dad and his huge Olds Cutlass Supreme comes to mind) then find out they are crap and switch to Japanese.
With all that said, I am still rooting for them. Hell, I did think about buying a Hyundai when the Azera came out and my aunt drives an Accent…
my 1995 Hyundai Accent is still fine and reliable, despite 12 years of my using it like a jeep, forcing it up steep rough mountain roads in search of shrines…
i drive a hyundai.
Not breaking out a distinct luxury brand, a la Lexus, Acura et al., is really going to kick them in the ass. What were they thinking? They’ve followed the Japanese “benchmark” this far.
I saw a Genesis (not coupe) in a showroom the other day, and while it was in a Hyundai showroom it was branded with a distinct (albeit not very good) “Genesis” logo.
The main point from my view was that was as with the similarity between the current Sonata/Grandeur models it really didn’t look much different or better than the Grandeur but was almost twice the price.
I didn’t go inside so maybe it has lots of bells and whistles…but!!!1
I’m okay with a Hyundai or those small fancy Kia cars.
I currently drive a Japanese car, always drove Japanese because that’s what everyone says are the best. But my next purchase which will be soon, I’ve decided consciously not to buy Japanese as a protest toward mass collectivism. Having said that, I won’t buy Hyundai because their brand image is bad. Nor will I buy American - with their poor after service and their ugly unappealing styles. My next car will be German.
I absolutely agree with cm as to Hyundai’s image and styling. It’s the same with Samsung mobile phones. Even though they have the best technology in the world, they’re distant number 2 or 3 behind Nokia and sometimes Motorola. I actually wrote to Samsung Chairman, Lee Kunhee, a few years ago, that they need to improve their design to make them look more appealing internationally and I also wrote how he could do that, but it doesn’t appear that he took my advice, although it is possible his secretaries decided not to tell him about my letter.
” My next car will be German.”
I’m curious to know what you’ll buy when, in a few years, you’ll decide it’s time to protest unreliable cars with overpriced replacement parts.
# 29…
I second that… $1,300 to replace a freak’in sensor! Gesamtrip weg!
That’s why it’s going to be leased instead of financed. Use it for 3 years (during which the warranty covers everything), then return it and get another new one. I would never finance European cars. Their reliability is the worst (now imagine Hyundai had the same reliability issues -they’d be trashed). But since it European, gives you an ego stoke.
If I had a dime for every gyopo mofo with a Honda Accord paid for by their Appa and Uma their hard-earned dry cleaner income…
If I had a dime for every gyopo mofo with a Honda Accord paid for by their Appa and Uma their hard-earned dry cleaner income…
with a fake VTEC logo and a faggy little pastel-colored toy thingy on the dash.
I have to say that Korean brands are better and better received in the States, esp LG, Samsung and yes, Hyundai. That’s at least in California. Ask about Hyundais and you’re likely to hear “The new ones are supposed to be really good.”
I wish they’d come out with a hybrid or super-efficient car; that’d make headlines here and do wonders for the brand.
Even LG had the good sense to change their name, though. Do we really think that LG would be as successful as it is if they were still rocking the GoldStar label?
what a freakn cop out?
Brand image? Ugly logo?
Yeah right.
samsung came out just fine with its “it’s cheap because it’s a samsung” label.
Real Americans don’t give a shit about Goldstar or LG,
“do you have that LG dryer and washer avail? I heard it’s the best one.”
that’s usually the line I hear from real Americans, not gyopos.
any idiot can search the box and see the Korean instructions, made in Korea, assembled in Korea, etc.
any college educated person knows where LG came from.
gyopos, keep to your Japanese brand loyalty.
i don’t really care.
i want to point it out, though.
most gyopos don’t buy Korean manufactured goods, they buy Japanese ones.
gyopos contribute to the Korean economy by tourism in Korea, sending money as aid to blood relatives Korea, and laundering money to Korea, involving blood relatives.
I am wjk.
I speak the truth.
# 37,
I would limit the Japanese brand loyalty of gyopos with just cars. How many Japanese refrigerators and washing machines are there out there?
Gyopos also tend to be more loyal to Korea when it comes to home electronics and cell phones.
Gyopos laundering money for Korean relatives… no never… I don’t know what you are talking about! All those pristine Korean businesses in downtown LA with no customers stay in business through, errrr… internet sales and stuff.
‘…they’re (sic) distant number 2 or 3 behind Nokia and sometimes Motorola. I actually….’
‘Phones have been a bright spot for Samsung, which last year surpassed Motorola Corp. of the United States as the world’s second-largest manufacturer.’ report from the ap dated today
Also the fact that Nokia has that huge lead because they sell dirt cheap phones with razor thin margins in India, Latin America and China and Samsung, LG and Motorola has decided not to play in that field (for the time being).
What kind of a person sends a letter to Lee Kun Hee and expects him to read it?
In no particular order;
1) Has no idea how the real world works
2) A major Samsung customer or supplier
3) A member of the Samsung Lee clan
4) Huh Kyung-young
Now hold on a second there.
I was having a meeting with Jay Jordan, the Chairman of one of the largest private equity funds in the world with about $20 billion under management and he got and read a letter that was addressed to a “Michael Jordan” in an ordinary white envelope. So not only was it in a humble package, but his name was mispelled also. Now, granted that private equity firms have much thinner staff because they manage money, not people and infrastructure, so there isn’t some admin person pouring through letters all day separating the wheat from the chaff, but I’m just saying, you never know.
Also, I think there is a story where some joe schmo sent Warren Buffett a letter and Warren actually responded personally! All I’m saying is however unlikely it is, you never know… Mr. Lee Kun Hee could have barbarian’s letter and reading aloud to his chief design guy while the poor schmuck is pouring Lee another shot of premium scotch. The design guy probably knows that Lee will pound his fist in the table about good design and all that while he’s got some scotch in him, then forget all the while as long as he doesn’t get mad while he’s drunk.
#42.
Or he could get too much scotch in his system, put down the obviously long letter after reading less than a quarter of it, then decide to go to bed. In the meantime, the design guy will either destroy the letter or switch it with something else that says “Your products are great!”
# 43,
By far a more likely scenario… Given that Lee was so suprised in the early 90’s that Samsung products were resigned to the bargin cheapo section of electronics departments here in the states, there appears to be an asymetrical information exchange between him and the help.
I blame confucianism…
I think pawi is right… samsung has overtaken Motorola, at least temporarily.
Motorola is going after the poor country markets too, but not as hard or as successfully as Nokia. Nokia dominates there. Also, Nokia is king in Europe. Samsung is trying to do better there.
#44.
Anyways, Warren Buffet is a person who gives the impression of being down to earth so yeah I can imagine him personally answering some letters from the ordinary Joe.
But chaebol chieftains with their imperial style of doing things, answering a letter from the ordinary guy on the street? Or more accurately their secretaries letting a letter like that through? Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of how they work knows that sending a letter like that to a chaebol CEO is the same as throwing it into an incinerator. Of course if you are a high ranking government official or a major customer, that’s a different story.
“Even LG had the good sense to change their name, though. Do we really think that LG would be as successful as it is if they were still rocking the GoldStar label?”
LOL. Remember those Goldstar home stereos from the mid to late 80’s? They were basically a small radio-cassette player in a very large plastic box. The speakers were huge but couldn’t have weighed much more than 2 pound each.
“any college educated person knows where LG came from.”
I’ve met many “college” educated persons who don’t know where korea is, let alone what comes from Korea.
“I would limit the Japanese brand loyalty of gyopos with just cars. How many Japanese refrigerators and washing machines are there out there?”
Not many maybe, but then I’ve never seen either a Japanese or Korean refereigerator or washing machine in UK for a gyopo to buy, and I don’t recall many koreans I met in the UK who didn’t either have or want to have a Sony TV, DVD, HiFi, Playstation, Cellphone, etc
Sorry Wangkong, should’ve read further before effectively duplicating your comments at #38….
Quick, Boy Wonder, to the Batmobile!….
Yes, Lucky Goldstar can’t work as a name, and Cuckoo can’t expect much traction either. Sound fine in Korean, not English… Westerners make the same mistakes, like the Chevy Nova in Latin America.
I’d say that Samsung is currently a high or mid/high-end brand in Americans’ minds today and can compete with just about any other brand. LG isn’t so far behind.
________________________
WJK #36: “that’s usually the line I hear from real Americans, not gyopos.”
Gyopos ARE real Americans! I’m first-generation American too, from European parents, so am I not a “real” American? You’re a gyopo, right?
Gyopos are as American as any other Americans. Say it again. Don’t be a freaking racist! Racism is for cowards and morons, so please stop being one.
day4night, get off it. You’re not a real American. Admit it — you even speak French.
Somebody should also tell him wjk is a gyopo.
BTW, when I was in high school, my family owned to Hyundai Excels — a red one and a cream-colored one.
What was the trade-in on your Yugo?
OK OK, I apologize to WJK; I came off way too harshly. I was typing too fast (as Brendon notes in his blog, “speed kills”), and was in part plagiarizing this poem — at least the coward bit. It’s a kind of racist poem itself. Anyway I knew WJK was a gyopo, but the tamer message I had in mind (like, “you’re just as American as anyone else, dude”) came out all nasty-like. So sorry about that, WJK.