4.6-liter Tau engine NOT in Gens sold in Korea!!

[ultra63]

Isn't it amazing this great engine was in American V8's but not in the more expen$ive Korean market one?

"Hyundai Motor Co. received the Ward's 2009 10 Best Engines award for its 4.6-liter Tau engine on Tuesday. The Tau engine was named as one of the top 10 engines of 2009 on Dec. 9. Ward's is a U.S.-based automotive media organization that publishes several automotive magazines.

The award is the only one given to engines in the United States. This is the first time a Hyundai Motor engine has been included in the top 10 list, Hyundai Motor officials said.

The company said that the award will help improve its brand image and raise sales of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group's premium sedans and SUVs in overseas markets.

The 4.6-liter Tau engine, which took four years to develop, is the largest engine produced by a Korean carmaker and the first locally developed V8 engine. The 4.6-liter Tau generates 380 brake horsepower and can go 100 km per hour in six seconds in the Genesis sedan.

The engine is currently available only in the export versions of the Genesis and the large SUV Mohave produced by Kia Motors Corp.

The first locally available vehicle equipped with the engine will be the large sedan VI, which is scheduled for launch in February.

By Choi He-suk "

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/01/16/200901160064.asp

 

[ConceptVBS]

One of the handful of things we get that they dont get. hehe.
Also, dont forget we get a more taut suspension as well on the V8 model.

But then again, they get:

1. Air suspension
2. Passenger cooled seats
3. Left and right facing spy cameras on the grille (for use in crowded urban areas).
4. Rear entertainment system.

I think thats about it.

 

[Poopsicle]

According to the CIA Website, South Korea has 48,000,000 people in a small land the size of Indiana. I think bigger engines would be useless. Their cars have more amenties and features but smaller engines, this make sense.

 

[Gwaneum]

From someone who just had a 2,600-km South Korean road trip...

Yes, you can get away with less power in S Korea. The overcrowded highways don't let you use much power anyway.

Another complication: premium unleaded may be hard to find in rural areas. And the Tau prefers premium. Anything powered by a Tau, or any European import demanding premium, will have to stay in major cities and on the toll expressways.

The people WILL drive fast, however, given the excellent expressways and the peculiarities of S Korean highway patrol. Highway patrol primarily uses automated cameras for speeders, and those cameras are well signposted. (Also, if you have GPS navigation, the map includes speed trap info - so you'll have even more warnings.) In-person patrols never happen except for breakdowns and accidents. Which means - outside the camera range, it's almost free-for-all, and people WILL drive well in excess of speed limits. Speed limits are 100-110 km/h on toll expressways and 80-90 km/h on freeways, but most people (me included) are known to push well past 140.

My ride was a 2006 Sonata 2.0L. The 2.0L is your bread-and-butter Sonata in Korea - but it's not even available stateside. The "top-shelf" 2.4L is the base US engine for the Sonata. The Koreans can't get V6 power for their Sonatas, period. (Want V6 in midsize sedan in Korea? Cough up more money and try getting a Grandeur (Azera in the US) or a Honda Accord!) I did find my 2.0L Sonata to be more than adequately powered.

Same story with other Hyundais - Americans get bigger engines:

• Avante/Elantra - 1.6L to 1.8L KDM, 2.0L US
• Grandeur/Azera - 2.7L to 3.3L KDM, 3.3L to 3.8L US
• Veracruz: 3.0L diesel KDM, 3.8L gas US
• Genesis: 3.3L to 3.8L KDM, 3.8L to 4.6L US

 

[mkaresh]

Similar situation in China. Taxes based on engine size might also play a role.

 

[Tufast]

The fact the Koreans can't get V/6 power is also the reason they are purchasing the 3.8L Genesis Coupes & modding the bejesus out of them. They are usually not afforded that possibility & now are able to make 400whp+ cars w/o too much difficulty. I'm sure they are loving it.

 

[F6Hawk]

Gwaneum... a Honda Accord, in Korea? Not a chance, unless an American brought it over and is driving it. Koreans won't drive Honda, period.

Ok, that is a tad strong... some DO drive them, but one RARELY sees them on the road. I'd say they comprise less than one-fourth of one percent of the cars on the road in Korea today.

 

[Poopsicle]

Gwaneum... a Honda Accord, in Korea? Not a chance, unless an American brought it over and is driving it. Koreans won't drive Honda, period.

Actually, they do sell Honda Accords in Korea

 

[YEH]

Gwaneum... a Honda Accord, in Korea? Not a chance, unless an American brought it over and is driving it. Koreans won't drive Honda, period.

Honda is the best selling import brand in Korea.

 

[F6Hawk]

Honda is the best selling import brand in Korea.

Where? The only Hondas or Toyotas I have ever seen on the road belong to Americans, and that ratio is like 1:3000 vehicles.

I'd say Lexus gets the honor of best-selling import, but I see that changed for 2008. While it's true that Korean imported cars are on the rise, you'd never notice it. 2 years ago, they had only 3% imports, and now it is up to 6%. Sure, the numbers doubled, but against total sales, that is STILL tiny.

Koreans in general hate the Japanese, and until this year, would hardly buy a Japanese product (except the luxury Lexus). And even with the numbers from last year, Honda's 20% of sales of 6% of total imports still only yields a few car sales... So with the Accord being about 40% of thier total Korean sales, that means that about 3,220 Accords sold in Korea make up about .5% of the total sales (approximately 672,000 new cars). Not exaclty what I would call a boon, by any means.

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[YEH]

Your info is a little outdated.

Yet Honda is beating its own sales target in Korea where it is now the No. 1 import brand. Its sales jumped 95% in the first seven months of this year by selling 8,056 vehicles. Sure the sales number doesn’t look that big but it represents a market share of 20% among foreign brands in a country that, not long ago, was the least-hospitable market on the planet for auto imports.

Indeed, Honda’s seven-month sales account for 90% of its original sales target for all of this year. Pleasantly surprised by the unexpected surge, Honda has upwardly adjusted its 2008 target to 12,000 vehicles from an earlier 9,000. Also, it is not the gas-sipping Civic or a hybrid that’s driving Honda’s growth. The best selling model is the Accord powered by 3.5-liter V6 engine that accounted for nearly 40% of all its deliveries in Korea this year.

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/eyeonasia/archives/2008/08/honda_emerges_a.html

Koreans in general hate the Japanese, and until this year, would hardly buy a Japanese product (except the luxury Lexus).

Koreans don't like the Japanese govt. and their position on past wrongs (and the right-wingers who support such positions), but generally, I wouldn't say the Koreans (esp. the younger generation) "hate" the Japanese people per se.

There are a no. of Japanese entertainers who have careers and a no. of Japanese rock bands are popular in Korea.

Btw, the reason why Lexus was the no.1 Japanese auto import is b/c Toyota aren't yet sold in Korea and Honda just started to focus on the import market in Korea.

 

[F6Hawk]

That info was exactly what I used.

Just because Honda's sales figures are up doesn't take into account total car sales. In December alone, the 5 Korean car makers sold 406,000 cars. Those figures you quoted were for 7 months. Selling 8,056 cars in 7 months can be projected to be approximately 13,810 for the year. Now using a similar projection, multiply 406,000 times 12, and total domestic car sales in Korea is about 4.872 million. As I stated before, hardly a drop in the bucket.

And you are correct, the younger generation is more tolerant of the Japanese, also of North Koreans (but LESS tolerant of Americans). But until another generation or three of older Koreans die off, don't expect any huge leaps in Japanese or N. Korean products in the country.

 

[Mark_888]

Koreans don't like the Japanese govt. and their position on past wrongs.

"Past wrongs" is an understatement. You can read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule

 

[Poopsicle]

Where? The only Hondas or Toyotas I have ever seen on the road belong to Americans, and that ratio is like 1:3000 vehicles.

I'd say Lexus gets the honor of best-selling import, but I see that changed for 2008. While it's true that Korean imported cars are on the rise, you'd never notice it. 2 years ago, they had only 3% imports, and now it is up to 6%. Sure, the numbers doubled, but against total sales, that is STILL tiny.

Koreans in general hate the Japanese, and until this year, would hardly buy a Japanese product (except the luxury Lexus). And even with the numbers from last year, Honda's 20% of sales of 6% of total imports still only yields a few car sales... So with the Accord being about 40% of thier total Korean sales, that means that about 3,220 Accords sold in Korea make up about .5% of the total sales (approximately 672,000 new cars). Not exaclty what I would call a boon, by any means.

I was talking to my friend about this issue in Korea. The only reason why Korea is still upset with Japan is that the Japanese never apologized for their wrong-doings. Japan only apologized to the USA. Japan still denies their wrong-doings with anything Korean. Not all Koreans hate Japanese. My Korean friend's girlfriend is Japanese.

 

[F6Hawk]

Of course, not ALL koreans hate the japanese. Just as all americans don't hate islamists, or even terrorists. Things change with time. With time comes tolerance, as it should. But the koreans were oppressed for a long time, so it may take longer than other examples.

I don't pretend to understand Asian cultures very well, but in my experience, neither group of people is very forgiving; and when all things are considered, I don't blame the Korean mindset against either the Japanese nor the N. Koreans or even Chinese. It would be sort of like Texas attacking and holding Oklahoma hostage for decades, then when Oklahoma was freed from rule, expecting them to get along with Texans. Ain't happenin', at least not any time soon.

Lots of bad feelings in the past, and all 4 countries are close to each other, and very proud of their heritages.

I'd say your friend dating a Japanese girl today is probably like a white dating a black was 15 years ago. Not unheard of, but perhaps barely tolerated by many people. I wish him luck, as ALL women are evil!

We really need to get back on topic, however... this is about cars, not nations!

 

[Mark_888]

I'd say your friend dating a Japanese girl today is probably like a white dating a black was 15 years ago.

I don't recall Black people doing anything to Whites that would cause any hatred, so that that seems a bit of a strange analogy (I am assuming you read the Wikipedia link I posted above and know what Japan did to Korea?).

What the Japanese did to the Koreans, Chinese, and others is the reason the US imposed trade embargos on Japan, which is why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and engaged the US in WWII.

But I doubt that anyone in Japan is who is still alive (or at least not very many) had anything to do with Japanese Imperialism prior to WWII so I personally don't hold any grudges (and enjoyed my trips to Japan). Japan today is a peace-loving country and a close ally of the USA. But some of the stuff inflicted upon Korean civilians (especially women) by the Japanese was horrific, and I can't walk in the shoes of a Korean who remembers those things.

 

[F6Hawk]

And I'd bet there are a LOT of Blacks who think that the Whites had no reason to treat them badly, yet they were treated badly. Regardless of the reason, Blacks were oppressed by the Whites, and for years, it was taboo to be seen with one, unless it was your personal slave. That's where the analogy came from.

No, I didn't read your Wiki article, it doesn't come anywhere close to the atrocities that happened during the period. It says nothing of how Korea was void of trees by 1975 becuase of what Japan did to the land, either. It was bad times, to be sure. (Someday, perhaps historians will look back on what we did for Korea, and compare it to what we are trying to do for Iraq today, and people will see that we are trying to do good for those who cannot do it themselves.)

But as you said, most of those directly involved are either dead or near-dead, and hopefully one day soon, all the history will be forgiven, if not forgotten. The same can be said of the Nazis, no one will forget it, but time causes most people to move on, and often overcome prejudices or past hates.

 

[Poopsicle]

I don't recall Black people doing anything to Whites that would cause any hatred, so that that seems a bit of a strange analogy (I am assuming you read the Wikipedia link I posted above and know what Japan did to Korea?).

What the Japanese did to the Koreans, Chinese, and others is the reason the US imposed trade embargos on Japan, which is why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and engaged the US in WWII.

But I doubt that anyone in Japan is who is still alive (or at least not very many) had anything to do with Japanese Imperialism prior to WWII so I personally don't hold any grudges (and enjoyed my trips to Japan). Japan today is a peace-loving country and a close ally of the USA. But some of the stuff inflicted upon Korean civilians (especially women) by the Japanese was horrific, and I can't walk in the shoes of a Korean who remembers those things.

Japan sounds like a nice country but I bet their political system and beliefs are all jacked up. I heard that the government changed their textbooks so they can make children believe the Japanese were the good guys during World War II!!! But that's politics. I have many Japanese and Korean friends and they're all friendly. I'm white I have been with black guys before.

 

[YEH]

That info was exactly what I used.

Just because Honda's sales figures are up doesn't take into account total car sales. In December alone, the 5 Korean car makers sold 406,000 cars. Those figures you quoted were for 7 months. Selling 8,056 cars in 7 months can be projected to be approximately 13,810 for the year. Now using a similar projection, multiply 406,000 times 12, and total domestic car sales in Korea is about 4.872 million. As I stated before, hardly a drop in the bucket.

Uhh, I thought we were discussing the buying of Japanese autos and not the condition of the overall import auto market in Korea?

Yes - import autos remain an overall small % of the Korean market (as it is in Japan), but the fact remains that a Japanese brand, Honda, is now the no.1 auto import in Korea w/ about a 20% share.

And Japanese pop culture is fairly popular in Korea (for instance, over 30% of novels sold in Korea are written by Japanese authors).

I was talking to my friend about this issue in Korea. The only reason why Korea is still upset with Japan is that the Japanese never apologized for their wrong-doings. Japan only apologized to the USA. Japan still denies their wrong-doings with anything Korean. Not all Koreans hate Japanese. My Korean friend's girlfriend is Japanese.

It's not just Korea - China, the Philippines, SE Asia all have the same issues w/ Japan.

Heck, even the Okinawans protested when the Japanese govt. tried to "whitewash" WWII history - the govt. wanted to take out references to Okinawans killing themselves, etc. due to govt. propaganda of US GIs as rapists, killers, etc.

 

[F6Hawk]

Well, I wish I could find a Honda dealer in Seoul! Their numbers may be up (of course, one would really need to quantify 20% of WHAT to make sense of the statistic), but I can't find anyone to service my Ridgeline!

Not that this is significant science or anything, but on my way to work the other day, I paid attention to as many car brands as I could. On a 40-minute commute, I'd estimate I saw over 500 different cars, and only two foriegn models... a Toyota Lexus, and a Chevy Epica, which is made by Daewoo here in Korea, so I guess it's not really a foriegn model.