So gelang der Aufstieg der koreanischen Autoindustrie

The dynamics of Korea’s technological learning since the 1960s transformed itself from “catch up to lead”. Hyundai Motor, founded in 1967 with its affiliated firm Kia Motor, shows the typical example of a rapid catch-up to lead as it has joined the top five global automobile makers in 2009. This chapter aims to answer the question: What are the major factors of the rapid catch-up in Korea’s automobile industry? The government policy, corporate strategy, demand, entrepreneurs, MNC’s involvement, knowledge base, and the bases of the parts industry are important factors. Hyundai and Kia have met another challenge to be competitive in future vehicles. This research could give meaningful implications on how to develop the automobile industry as a stepping stone to the industrialization of the nation.

Korea’s automobile industry has not developed for a long time, but it has achieved a leading position in the world, and also occupied part of the Chinese market. What causes this result is worth studying. Based on the big data, this paper uses the result equation model to analyze the development of Korean automobile industry in China.

This chapter “Kia Motors, From Bikes to Cars: Beginnings to 1996,” outlines the history of Kia Motors between 1944 and 1996. It begins with a section discussing the firm’s early years as a maker of bicycles, licensed Honda motorcycles, and then Mazda-based, three-wheel trucks (1937–1971). This is followed by two sections that chronicle the launch of Kia Industries’ Sohari vehicle plant and its first passenger car (1972–1976), and that examine the firm’s takeover of Asia Motors and temporary loss of its government permit to produce cars (1976–1981). The second half of the chapter reviews how an alliance with Ford Motor of America enabled Kia to re-enter the car business (1982–1987). It then delves into the renamed Kia Motors’ rapid plant expansion period at home and initial efforts to establish an international footprint (1987–1996). The chapter then closes with a summary of the automaker’s growth path through 1996 and a brief assessment of its future at the start of 1997.

This chapter, “Hyundai Motor Part II: Rapid Growth and Internationalization: 1987–1996,” serves as the second of two chapters on Korea’s largest automaker. It begins by describing how the Hyundai “Excel Phenomenon” provoked trade friction with the U.S. and Canada (1987–1988). This is followed by a discussion of the unsteady launch of Hyundai’s Canadian Plant in Bromont, Quebec (1988–1992). The third through fifth sections chronicle the automaker’s rapid expansion and internationalization during the first half of Young-sam Kim’s national regime (1993–1996). This includes discussions of Hyundai’s substantial domestic plant construction activities at the time, including major enlargements in Ulsan, and the openings of its Jeonju commercial vehicle and Asan sedan plants. In addition, the sudden demise of its Canadian factory and the automaker’s new overseas production initiatives, primarily in the Developing World, are reviewed. The chapter concludes with a summary of Hyundai’s growth path and future at the start of 1997.

Korea hat nach anfänglicher Zurückhaltung erhebliche Anstrengungen zur Förderung seiner nationalen Industrie im Umfeld der Entwicklung autonomer Fahrzeuge entwickelt. Außerdem gibt es bereits erste gesetzliche Änderungen, die spezifisch diese Fahrzeuge adressieren. Auch wenn weitere Gesetzgebungsvorschläge vorliegen, bleiben allerdings wesentliche Fragen der zivilrechtlichen und strafrechtlichen Verantwortung, des Datenschutzes und des Versicherungsrechts offen. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick zur koreanischen Entwicklung und macht Vorschläge zur Rechtsfortbildung auch in diesen Bereichen.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered as a driving force behind the automotive industry’s transformation based on eco-friendliness and high energy efficiency. Unlike expectations, the diffusion of EVs is proceeding at a slow pace in Korea. This study therefore aims to identify the factors influencing the slow market diffusion of EVs from a socio-technical perspective, by comparing the perceptions of the experts and the individuals. We constructed 15 factors in the five dimensions including costs, automobile characteristics, charging conditions, policy instruments, and perceptions for the analytic hierarchy process analysis. Surveys were performed with 58 EV experts and 87 individuals with driver’s licenses in Korea. The results identified and prioritized charging concerns as the highest barrier in both groups, and burden of costs as another critical barrier in the individual group.

In this paper, we analyzed the structure of the South Korean automotive industry using social network analysis (SNA) metrics. Based on the data collected from 275 companies, a social network model of the supply network was constructed. Centrality measures in the SNA field were used to interpret the result and identify key companies. The results show that SNA metrics can be useful to understand the structure of a supply network. The most significant contribution of this research is that this is the first trial on applying SNA methods to large scale supply networks for an entire automotive industry of a country.

The chapter explains the structural change in the global auto industry and the current situation of Korean auto industry, followed by the risk management of supply chain. This chapter uses the cases of recent disasters to understand the interactions and impacts along the global value chain. In addition, several strategies to minimize the risk of supply chain are proposed: First, Build strong and flexible procurement system; Second, Risk Mitigation with diversification of supply sources; Third, Information network across the supply chain; Fourth, Build a real-time risk evaluation system with quantifiable index and training; Fifth, Minimize the damage with a business continuity plan (BCP).

There is no doubt that the automobile industry is going through a fundamental shift. The “Great Recession” triggered by the “subprime crisis” has affected worldwide automobile demand and prompted automobile manufacturers to form alliances and shift their focus and concentration to the emerging market, which has withstood the slump amid economic growth and government subsidies. In a context of weak global demand, major markets will see harsher price competition as key players take an aggressive stance for larger market shares. Hence, automakers will compete more fiercely than ever before for more sales and will have to fight on two major fronts: to gain a larger market share and to maintain profitability. As a result of recession, income disparity widens, as does the spending gap, triggering fears of social instability. This change in spending patterns show evidence of a “middle class squeeze”, with reflects in a stagnation of mid-range cars and an increase of the top and low range cars demand. After an expansion phase, the Korean market growth has stagnated, as the national economy remained sluggish.

The Korean automotive industry began its history in 1955 and early manufacturers heavily relied on imported parts. In the 1960s, the South Korean government drove the auto industry development initiative; it also did not allow foreign automakers to operate in Korea unless they formed joined ventures with domestic entities, similar to the current setting in the Chinese auto industry. Since “Pony,” the first Korean-developed automobile by the Hyundai Motors, was produced in 1975, the industry has grown fast and demonstrated strong engineering capabilities in vehicle design, performance, and powertrain. South Korea is now one of the world’s largest car manufacturing countries producing more than 4 million units annually, and almost two thirds of Korean produced cars and trucks are exported worldwide each year [ 1]. The Korean automotive companies (OEMs) continue to grow rapidly; for instance the Hyundai Motor Group ranks 5th by global sales volume for 2015, having a global market share of approximately 9%.

New powertrain technologies, such as those used in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, have a price premium which is often offset by lower running costs. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) combines these purchase and operating expenses to identify the most economical vehicles overall. This is a valuable assessment for both private and fleet purchasers. To date, no studies have compared Total Cost of Ownership across more than two vehicle markets or analysed historic costs. To address this gap, this research provides a more extensive assessment of TCO in three industrialized countries – the U.S.A (California specifically), the UK, and Republic of Korea – for the time period of 2015 - 2019.

The EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KOREU) is the first free trade agreement (FTA) the EU concluded with a trading partner from Asia. Beyond the comprehensive liberalization of industrial and agricultural tariffs, KOREU covered a broad range of behind-the-border measures, such as rules of origin, non-tariff barriers, industrial regulation, intellectual property rights, services, public procurement, competition and sustainability. Coming into force in July 2011, Europe’s deep recession at that time initially put a strain on the agreement, which led to some disappointment in Korea at first. Nevertheless, bilateral trade expanded significantly in a very difficult trade environment, especially when compared with both sides’ trade with third parties.