Rise of Korean Cars in the U.S.: A Look at 3 Popular Models

More Korean Cars Found Abroad
Improved Performance and Services
What Are the Three Popular Models?

When you travel or live abroad, it’s natural to see mostly cars from local brands. In particular, in countries like the U.S. or Japan, there are a variety of domestic car brands, and their performance is proven, so there aren’t many people who go out of their way to buy and drive cars from foreign countries.

Despite this perception and reality, Korean cars are often seen there. Korean-made cars, sold at relatively affordable prices overseas, including in the U.S., have become more diverse in type, allowing drivers to operate according to their tastes and purposes. Today, let’s look at the three popular Korean car models abroad.

Kia Soul for Beginners
Korean Fun Driving Elantra N

A car is often chosen as the first car by beginners or young professionals due to its reasonable size, spacious interior, and excellent cost-effectiveness. It’s Kia Soul, which gained considerable popularity when it was first released in Korea in 2008. Although its domestic sales have been discontinued, being overshadowed by models like the Niro, Seltos, and even Ray, it is still one of the cars that continues to sell well in the U.S. Interestingly, when it was first released in the U.S., a hamster appeared in the commercial, which has since become a meme among Americans.

While beginners and young professionals drive Kia’s Soul, more experienced foreign drivers often drive fun cars for the joy of driving. One of these cars, frequently spotted abroad, is Hyundai’s Avante N. It is released under Elantra N in North America and is widely recognized as a cost-effective sports car. It is one of the cars that has consistently received positive responses domestically and abroad, breaking away from the traditional image of Hyundai cars. Hence, expectations for its future are high.

Carnival Has Competitive Edge in the U.S., Large Family Car Market

The cars mentioned earlier are often seen in the U.S., but large or family cars are the most demanded. A Korean car model meets these criteria and is highly praised abroad. It’s the Kia Carnival.

The Carnival, previously known as the Sedona, has been released in the North American market since 2021 under a unified name. It approached consumers by showcasing the advantages of Korean cars released abroad: affordable prices and abundant options. Furthermore, it focused on safety, fuel efficiency, and interior space utilization, necessary to capture the U.S. market where family cars and vans are widely used. Therefore, it can be said to be a competitive vehicle in the U.S. market.

Recognized as a Cost-Effective Brand Abroad
Efforts Made to Improve Quality in Korea

Korean cars are popular abroad because they offer good performance for the price, a variety of option specifications, and the perception that Korean cars are safe. As a result of their consistent efforts, they are expanding their recognition in foreign markets and offering more advanced features.

To compete with other foreign car brands, it seems necessary to continue current efforts and put more effort into improving quality for domestic consumers and post-sales service.