Shohei Ohtani’s Surprising Choice of Vehicle During His Early Days in the U.S.

LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani visits South Korea for MLB World Tour schedule
Having experience driving a Hyundai vehicle in the past

Shohei Ohtani transferred from the Los Angeles Angels of the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023. He is staying in South Korea to participate in the MLB World Tour Seoul Series. Because Ohtani has many fans in Korea, the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, where the baseball game was held on March 17th and 18th, was crowded with people to see him.

But that’s not all. The appearance of Ohtani riding Hyundai’s hydrogen-electric bus, Universe, has also attracted a lot of attention. Hyundai is the only automobile manufacturer to sponsor this MLB World Tour. You may wonder why it became a hot topic for a sports star to ride in a sponsor’s vehicle. It is said that Ohtani has a connection with Hyundai in the past. Let’s look at what kind of relationship it is right now.

Ohtani, who entered the U.S. in 2018, was seen driving a South Korean vehicle

In 2018, the Japanese weekly magazine FLASH published an article titled Ohtani’s commuter vehicle, a Korean vehicle worth about 2 million yen (about $ 13,206) in its May 1st issue. 2 million yen is equivalent to approximately 18 million won in South Korean currency. Considering the status of Ohtani, whose current value is a whopping $700 million, it is pretty difficult to believe.

But this is true. Ohtani used a South Korean vehicle as a commuter vehicle around that time. So, was his annual salary very low at that time? Not at all. At the time, Ohtani had signed a minor league contract under MLB’s Overseas Player Contract Under 25 Years Old. At this time, his annual salary was 60 million yen (about $ 400,000), or approximately 530 million won in South Korean currency. It may not be a high salary for a player, but it is not a low salary when purchasing a vehicle.

South Korean vehicle he drove was identified as the 7th generation Hyundai Sonata

At the time, it was reported that the Los Angeles Angels would provide Ohtani with a larger vehicle. Of course, Ohtani reportedly refused this. The fact that he drove a South Korean vehicle was a choice based on his frugal lifestyle. Ohtani’s South Korean vehicle, as captured in the photo, is known as Hyundai’s 7th generation Sonata. The vehicle was first launched in March 2014, launched as a facelift version in June 2017, and was discontinued in June 2023. Ohtani’s Sonata was identified as the electric model before the facelift version.

The size of the 7th generation Sonata electric model is 4,855 mm (191.14 inches) in length, 1,865 mm (73.42 inches) in width, 1,475 mm ( 58.07 inches) in height, and 2,805 mm ( 110.43 inches) in wheelbase. Among the 2.0 models, The 2.0 CVVL model showed a power performance of 168 horsepower and 145.02 lb.ft of torque, and the 2.0 T-GDi model showed a power performance of 245 horsepower and 260.39 lb.ft of torque.

The powertrain of both models was combined with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Currently, he is driving a Tesla Model X and
Porsche vehicle

As such, Shohei Ohtani had a relationship with Hyundai in the past. So what kind of car does he drive now that he has become a world-class sports star? Tesla’s electric SUV, Model X, is currently known as his personal vehicle. He mainly uses the vehicle to carry out personal activities or schedules with his family members.

Additionally, Ohtani is one of the players who signed a sponsorship deal with Porsche. As a result, it is known that he has frequently used Porsche vehicles. Porsche has currently conducted promotional activities for the Taycan Turbo S through an advertisement with Otani. When Ohtani transferred to the LA Dodgers, he also gave a Taycan vehicle as a gift to a fellow player who gave up his jersey number for him.