Kia is a South Korean company, yes. My personal fake slogan for them is “Kia: The Car From Korea.” (Most of my fake slogans poke fun at the companies or their logo. For some reason, that one doesn’t.)
They had an ad a while back that was full of anti-Japanese slurs.
They need to fire their marketing department, their ad agency, and anyone who has ever signed off on, paid for, and approved any of those ads immediately.
Is this a commercial from the Kia company itself or from a local dealer? Small dealers have been known to slap corporate logos on shoddy ads that they stick on cable for $500.
Cite #1: All those Hyundai Excels that didn’t have the front ends welded properly. Makes speed humps so much more fun!
<thump> ‘What was that, honey?’
‘Oh, just the front axle detaching from the chassis again, happens all the time …’
Cite #2: Well, all those riceboy wannabes (that is, riceboys that can’t afford a Honda) that buy a stock Hyundai Accent and then spend just as much as they did on the car on such value added performance features as massive chrome cheese-cutter rims, those fibreglass body kits that make the front end look like Darth Vader playing a harmonica, and those rear spoilers that are wide enough to land a Cessna on. Not to mention more electronics than NASA used in the first space shuttle, hooked up to 17 individual speakers, including the obligatory 16" subwoofers that do wonders for the car’s already dubious structure, pumping 5000 watts of amplified electronic farting that can be heard two suburbs away. And those fucking stupid neon lights …
Cite #3: Any used Daewoo. These cars are bought by cheap-ass sons of bitches that have no fucking idea that cars need maintenance, then they wonder why the engine shits itself in a family-sized way after only 80,000km (50,000 miles or so).
The following conversation is happening more and more in garages and mechanics workshops worldwide …
‘Well, you see, here’s your problem sir … this oil has the consistency of molasses … when was the last time you changed your oil?’
‘Changed my oil? But the guy that sold me the car said that this amazing new Korean technology has eliminated the need for oil changes …’
It sure has. You just junk the fucker when it reaches 5 years old or 100,000 km.
Don’t forget their engineers! After accidentally renting a Kia Sportage on a business trip, I’ll never buy one of their cars no matter what the ads say!
Kias are about the bottom of the barrel, as far as cars go. I wouldn’t ride in one, much less buy one. Don’t lump all Korean cars together, though. Hyundais have made amazing strides in quality in the last few years. In fact, the new Hyundai Santa Fe has neen pretty well received. Gone are the days when a Hyundai Excel would fall apart on the way home from the dealership (and no, I do not drive a Korean car).
Give them a few years, and they’ll have the reputation that Japanese cars had five years ago (quality products at a low cost). Now, I can’t even afford a Japanese car! I looked at Altimas yesterday: $27,000 sticker price!!! And forget about the SUVs. Geeez.