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How the Koreans are cracking the luxury market

South Korea's two largest automotive brands are no longer the same companies they were when they first entered the world stage.
Anyone who visits Seoul after a few years absence is likely going to be in for a shock. What was, not that long ago, a decidedly third-world city is today a thriving, sprawling metropolis increasingly on a par with the world's most modern cities.

Hyundai Fined $17.35 Million For Delayed Recall

Hyundai has agreed to pay a $17.35 million fine for delayed reporting of a brake defect affecting Genesis luxury cars, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday. The defect involves corrosion in critical brake system components that can reduce braking effectiveness and increase the risk of a crash, NHTSA said. Hyundai was aware in 2012 that brake fluids used in the model year 2009-2012 Genesis cars did not sufficiently inhibit corrosion in key components of the vehicle's brake system, the agency said. But rather than issue a recall, Hyundai instructed dealers to change the brake fluid in affected vehicles without explaining the consequences that failure to take that action might have, NHTSA said. Hyundai also did not inform Genesis owners of the potential safety consequences, the agency said. Hyundai recalled 27,500 of the cars in October 2012 just hours before the government opened an investigation. "Hyundai failed to act to protect their customers and others that were harmed in an accident, and must change the way they deal with all safety related defects," David Friedman, head of the safety administration, said in a statement. About 70 percent of the affected Genesis cars have been repaired so far, the safety administration said. Hyundai is committed to ensuring immediate action in response to potential safety concerns, including the prompt reporting of safety defects, said Jim Trainor, a senior group manager for Hyundai Motor America. "In order to mitigate a situation like this in the future, Hyundai is instituting new organizational and process improvements, and enhancing the ability of its U.S. leadership team to readily respond to regulatory reporting requirements," he said in an email. In May, the safety administration slapped General Motors with a record $35 million fine Friday for taking more than a decade to disclose an ignition-switch defect in millions of cars that has been linked to at least 13 deaths. Earlier this year, after a four-year criminal investigation, the Justice Department made Toyota pay $1.2 billion for concealing unintended acceleration problems from NHTSA. No individuals were charged with a crime. Related Gallery Safest Crossovers For The Budget-Conscious Family View 10 Photos Recalls Genesis Hyundai NHTSA brakes

Hyundai's Western designers want a Genesis supercar

Will Genesis build a supercar? The answer is that it could, eventually ... if the Hyundai Motor executives are convinced by the Western designers they've hired. Speaking with Peter Schreyer and Luc Donckerwolke at the New York Auto Show last week, Australia's CarAdvice reports that there is a desire within the company to create a supercar to cap the Genesis lineup, but that it might take a while. "It's still some time away, something like this," Schreyer told CarAdvice. "All these things take a little bit of time. We're just at the beginning and things like that, you know, we need to talk about and develop more." Donkerwolke seemed even more optimistic. "I won't reveal the secret now because it's still my baby! Obviously, yes, this is part of the interest of designing a brand, being able to create [supercars]. It's not just something which we'll do, let's say a rational traditional project, but there will be some highlights." The Hyundai N 2025 Vision Grand Turismo concept is shown above. Both Schreyer and Donkerwolke came to Hyundai from the Volkswagen Group. Schreyer now serves as one of three presidents at Kia and chief designer for the entire Hyundai portfolio. Donkerwolke recently joined him to run the premium design office for the Genesis brand, having designed the Lamborghini Gallardo, Murcielago, and Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept, among others. Joining the likes of the Acura NSX, Lexus LFA, and Audi R8 may be a priority for the designers, but they'll like face a difficult task in convincing the bean-counters in Seoul to ever green-light such a project. "This is very difficult for them, the company is there to exist," said Schreyer. "It's a business." Related Video: Featured Gallery Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo Concept: Frankfurt 2015 View 17 Photos News Source: CarAdviceImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Genesis Hyundai Supercars supercar