[ChinchillaX]

TOKYO: Honda will start marketing its Accord executive saloon car in South Korea this month, becoming the second Japanese automaker selling there since Seoul lifted a ban on Japan-made cars in 1999.

Honda Korea C. Ltd., Honda's subsidiary in South Korea, will begin the import and sales of the sedans on May 20, the company said in a statement.

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Based on the North American version of the Accord, the model to be sold in South Korea has been modified to meet the needs and preferences of local customers, it said.

The sale price will be 38.9 million won (33,000 dollars) for the 3.0-litre model and 33.9 million won for the 2.4-litre version. Both models are made at Honda's Saitama plant, north of Tokyo.

Honda plans to establish four dealerships this year -- three in Seoul and one in the southeastern port city of Busan -- opening the first showroom in Seoul on May 20.

Currently Toyota is the only Japanese automaker selling in South Korea, which banned Japan-made cars until 1999 due to lingering antipathy stemming from Tokyo's harsh colonial rule of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945.

Rival Nissan also plans to start marketting its own cars in South Korea from mid-2005.

- AFP

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/84081/1/.html

 

[SAZABI]

I thought Korean don't like Japanese.... ?

 

[larchmont]

.....and I'm surprised there was ever an issue about it, although on second thought, sure.

I would have thought Honda (and Toyota and whoever else) was sellling cars there all along, but that because of tariffs (not to mention quality) the Japanese cars would have been much more expensive than the Korean cars and so the "domestic" cars there would have had a great advantage anyway.

 

[ChinchillaX]

I thought Korean don't like Japanese.... ?

I have family members in Taiwan that don't really like Japanese either because they tried to rule and take over Taiwan and force everyone to learn Japanese language and culture. Same thing in Manchuria, the Japanese invaded China and Korea and killed many Chinese and Koreans and forced women to be sex slaves. A lot Chinese and Koreans still have a grudge against Japanese because of this...

 

[larchmont]

I have family members in Taiwan that don't really like Japanese either because they tried to rule and take over Taiwan and force everyone to learn Japanese language and culture. Same thing in Manchuria, the Japanese invaded China and Korea and killed many Chinese and Koreans and forced women to be sex slaves. A lot Chinese and Koreans still have a grudge against Japanese because of this...

I wonder what that bodes for us and the Islam world.....

 

[Whatchamacallit]

I went to Korea several times last year for business.

About 98% of the cars there are domestic (Hyundai, Kia, Daewoo, Ssangyong, etc). I saw some Fords, Mercurys, BMWs, but no Hondas. Guess that article explains why.

I asked the locals how much the imports typically cost in comparison to the domestics. They said the imports aren't out of reach but the tariffs on them usually equal the cost of the car itself, essentially doubling the price to buy one.

 

[larchmont]

I went to Korea several times last year for business.....
I asked the locals how much the imports typically cost in comparison to the domestics. They said the imports aren't out of reach but the tariffs on them usually equal the cost of the car itself, essentially doubling the price to buy one.

Interesting info. I would have guessed it might be close to that, although with some doubt because it is an awful lot. And I wouldn't have guessed it was quite that much.

I guess that means the people who have the imports are:
(1) Loaded, and/or
(2) Really into the "status" that I imagine comes with having an import.

I imagine that if I were over there I'd get a Hyundai or Daewoo, although who really knows unless you're in the situation. I figure the imports would cost about THREE times as much, or more, because their basic cost is more, then you've got the doubling because of the tariffs. I think I'd be hard pressed to pay that.

 

[Whatchamacallit]

Interesting info. I would have guessed it might be close to that, although with some doubt because it is an awful lot. And I wouldn't have guessed it was quite that much.

I guess that means the people who have the imports are:
(1) Loaded, and/or
(2) Really into the "status" that I imagine comes with having an import.

I imagine that if I were over there I'd get a Hyundai or Daewoo, although who really knows unless you're in the situation. I figure the imports would cost about THREE times as much, or more, because their basic cost is more, then you've got the doubling because of the tariffs. I think I'd be hard pressed to pay that.

Yes, I noticed that people who own BMWs there don't go for the cheap stuff. Most of the BMWs that I saw were of the 7 series.

I also think the anti-Japanese sentiment is old news among the younger generation there. The older generation might hold a grudge but the younger generation isn't as bitter about the past history. (Similar to US-Japan relations nowadays).

Another interesting thing I noticed while I was there: Black taxis have higher fare rate than white taxis (or any other exterior paint) for the same ride.

 

[larchmont]

.....Another interesting thing I noticed while I was there: Black taxis have higher fare rate than white taxis (or any other exterior paint) for the same ride.

Darnedest thing I ever heard.

If I had a white taxi, I'd paint it black.

 

[ChinchillaX]

Darnedest thing I ever heard.

If I had a white taxi, I'd paint it black.

Its kinda like that in China too, but Taxis charge rates based on size of their cars. VW Santana taxi costs 50 cents more to ride in than a Citroen ZX taxi. The cheapest taxi I found you can ride in were the Xiali Taxis.

 

[BB1_VTEC]

In Indonesia.. taxi come in many diff color.. but the black taxi...is the most expensive one.. they use huge ass nissan cefiro

In singapore.. u see many toyota crown and nissan cefiro as taxi.. those cars are HUGE... but the white london taxi and the while mercedes E-class taxi is the most expensive one