Car tech of the future at Korea’s Idea Festival
We head to Kia and Hyundai’s Idea Festival in Korea to witness the wacky results when some of the brightest minds in motoring R&D think outside the box
THE Hyundai-kia Motor Group is the fastest-growing automotive company in the world, having tripled its global sales in the last 15 years.
The two South Korean brands joined forces in 1998 and after selling just 2.35 million vehicles in 2000, shifted 8.01m last year – now ranking as the fifth biggest manufacturer in the world.
One of the top reasons for such a huge increase, especially in Europe, is the design of the cars. It’s now 10 years since Peter Schreyer became Kia’s design boss – he’s since taken over as styling chief at Hyundai, too – and converted the conservative range into a fresh and modern line-up that includes the all-new Kia Rio unveiled at the recent Paris Motor Show.
So it’s fair to say the company is on a roll, but it’s far from resting on its laurels; it’s continuing to plough millions into the latest driverless tech and hydrogen development as it seeks to take a leading role in the future.
All this advanced work is taking place in scores of R&D centres dotted around South Korea, pushing the boundaries of what the next Hyundai and Kia models will be able to do.
But Hyundai-kia is not content with restricting these bright minds to the humble motor car, and is encouraging them to think outside of four wheels. One senior exec admitted: “We’re no longer just a company that sells cars.”
To that end, Auto Express was invited to one of these R&D centres on the outskirts of Seoul to take part in the Ideas Festival.
Now in its seventh year, it asks teams of workers to come up with fresh new prototypes that could, theoretically, be developed on to future cars. Teams are given nine million South Korean Won (around £6,500) to design and build their ideas with all development work done outside of normal office hours. The winners – judged by top company execs including Schreyer – are handed a cash prize plus trips around the world to visit other Hyundai-kia facilities.
For 2016, the showcase went a step further, with a full X Factorstyle staging set-up, and seven unique – if a little off-the-wall – ideas. Here’s Auto Express’ rundown of the festival’s craziest concepts.