Move over China, this decade belongs to your closest rival: why the 2020s belong to Hyundai and Kia, not China, Japan or Germany | Opinion

Sorry, Swifties.

While we appreciate the cultural phenomenon that is singer/songwriter, artist and philanthropist Taylor Swift, this is not a paean to a great pop star, but, rather, a reference to the year that marked Japan’s stellar ascension as the biggest threat to the established carmakers of that time. Their fear was existential as well as actual.

1989, then, encapsulates Japan’s golden era when Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota and others had the Midas Touch, before the economic bubble burst in the early ‘90s.

This is a tribute to the great South Korean cars, SUVs and utes of the 2020s.

From being derided as cheap and dreadful (early Excels, most Daewoos and the Mk2 Ford Festiva instantly spring to mind), it’s been the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG – including Kia and luxury brand Genesis) that has made Koreans proud, during one of history’s more tumultuous decades, against the tide of China, Russia, American politics, war and – not least of all – a global pandemic. And we’re barely half-way through it.

We’re not saying it’s all been smooth sailing for HMG, with many alleged mechanical problems, failures, scandals and myriad other issues, to keep them on their toes and their lawyers busy. But we know a purple patch when we see one.

Here we outline the landmark models that put South Korea well and truly at the top of the automotive world in the 2020s.

Let’s go.

Hyundai Ioniq 5

The moment the first Ioniq 5 touched down marked the arrival of the first truly new model of the 2020s from any carmaker.

Arrestingly handsome, beautifully presented and with the most advanced electric vehicle (EV) architecture this side of a Porsche Taycan’s, the first ground-up electric Hyundai is as breathtakingly modern as its Giugiaro-referencing styling evokes the company’s past, and remains a towering monument to the brains behind this beauty. Looking like a scaled-up hatch, it defies categorisation to occupy a rarefied space all its own.

And, speaking of the stars, the Ioniq 5 N performance flagship deserves to be included on the Voyager space crafts’ golden record that portrays the diversity of life and culture on this planet should aliens across it in the cosmos, because there is nothing like it on Earth.

Kia EV6

The Ioniq 5’s fraternal twin may be almost identical underneath, but it feels distinct enough to appeal to a completely different type of buyer. The styling is certainly Kia’s own, emphasising the driver-orientated focus within. Yet the athletic EV6 is still as roomy and wonderful to ride in and use as its Hyundai counterpart. That two models of such diversity can exist and still be cousins proves EVs, too, possess the power to surprise.

Kia EV9/Hyundai Ioniq 9

In 2023, the EV9 seemed like it landed from the future, with stunning lines, a vast interior, outstanding refinement, a brilliant powertrain and real dynamic appeal. Utterly unique, it makes premium non-EV three-row SUVs instantly feel dated and flawed, and drives like a smaller, sprightlier and sportier machine. One of the all-time greats, and deserving of its lofty price point.

The related yet comprehensively different Ioniq 9 might even be the better option, but we haven’t yet properly tested it on Australian roads, so cannot say for sure.

But both are breathtaking examples of HMG’s seemingly limitless ambition (and resources). Can you even imagine a $125K price tag on a Kia just five years ago?

Kia EV3

Occasionally we come across a car that is beyond the sum of its parts, and the EV3 is a shining example.

It distils the quality engineering and knowhow of HMG’s immense investment in EVs, in a compact SUV package that looks just right on the outside, is a class act inside, drives like a warm hatch and offers impressive real-world efficiency.

A sentiment echoed globally, the humble EV3, folks, is one of the best EVs, period. That it starts from under $50K is an incredible achievement, as well as a klaxon warning to opponents as diverse as Toyota, BYD and BMW.

Kia Tasman

It’s way too early to judge where HMG’s first one-tonne ute lands in the court of public opinion. And the wilfully different styling seems to simply be discombobulating jurors.

But the Tasman is the first ute to pull away from the world’s best (Ford Ranger) in several key areas, including for interior space, cabin design, ease of operation, quality presentation, powertrain refinement, a reassuring warranty and workhorse practicality. Plus, the Kia’s a charmer to boot.

Not perfect, but a perfectly terrific first effort and a terrifying prospect for alternatives pick-ups.

Hyundai Santa Fe (from 2023)

The original Santa Fe from 2000 was a miserable family SUV, but subsequent generations improved exponentially, leading to the fifth iteration of 2023 hitting a six on a number of fronts: concept-car styling, superb packaging, sumptuous comfort, soothing refinement and everyday practicality chief amongst them.

We’re fans of both powertrain versions, but the hybrid in affordable base front-drive guise must surely be the standout value family crossovers in its class today. So much to savour and enjoy. This Hyundai deserves every sale it achieves.

Kia Picanto

And the award for democratising new-car-ownership for thousands of Australians during a cost-of-living crisis goes to Picanto. From under $22K drive-away, the pint-sized runabout offers larger-car maturity, refinement and security, in an affordable package that won’t leave owners feeling short-changed.

That Kia persists where most other manufacturers have abandoned the segment is testimony to the brand’s belief that buyers should be taken on a life-long journey, beginning at the bottom of the passenger-car market, while Genesis is there at the top. HMG: your one-stop shop.

That Toyota and Ford in particular seem to have completely abandoned this philosophy (the cheapest Yaris approaches $35K and Everest now starts from $66K drive-away) may eventually bite them on the posterior sometime in the future.

Hyundai Santa Cruz

If you’re reading this in North America, you might think the Santa Cruz is merely a copycat of the high-profile and best-selling Ford Maverick. But, that’s unfair, as Hyundai flagged its car-based dual-cab pick-up concept vehicle back in 2015, as an alternative to the pioneering Honda Ridgeline of a decade before that.

Since launching in 2021, the Tucson mid-sized SUV-derived Santa Cruz has sold solidly, but more importantly, does a great job in bridging the gap between SUVs and utes, in a light-and-easy family-friendly way. Brilliant, like a modern-day Brumby but with more of everything.

Now, make up your minds, HMG, and bring this to Australia. Please.

Kia Carnival/Hyundai Staria Load

The Multi-Purpose Vehicle (or MPV) was a peculiarly late-20^th Century fad, where van-like wagons stormed the market, offering big space for little money. The earliest versions were also slow, thirsty and far from safe.

They eventually evolved into surprisingly capable and incredibly practical family cars like the Toyota Tarago and Honda Odyssey, but three-row SUVs and 4WDs eventually ended almost each and every one.

Except for the Kia Carnival. The 1998 original was woeful; the second from 2005 a better effort; the third debuted nine years later and proved to be a big hit; and the current version from 2020 hits all the right notes.

Today, the Carnival commands over 80 per cent of all MPV sales, leaving crumbs for the very few that remain. It is a visual treat, sophisticated inside, lovely to drive and a joy to live with.

And a special mention to the related, space-age Hyundai Staria Load, which punches above its weight in the medium-van market.

Hyundai Palisade/Kia Telluride

Kia’s Telluride must surely rank as one of the greatest sales successes in modern automotive history, far, far outstripping initial volume forecasts by tapping into something that big three-row SUV consumers desire. That it’s also won numerous awards means that the Kia deserves such popularity.

Never heard of it? Australians, of course, are denied the Telluride because it’s left-hand drive only, and solely USA-made to boot, but the closely-related Hyundai Palisade is a more-than-worthy consolation… and likely the better prize anyway, now that the boss second-gen LX3 version will be with us from 2026. Just look at it!

Kia Stinger

Like today’s third-gen Picanto, the Stinger is a product of last decade, being born in 2017.

However, spiritually, it was born in the touring car races like Bathurst of the 1960s and ‘70s, where muscle cars like this were woven into the national fabric. Just like the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore were right up to the end of local manufacturing.

Similarly, Kia’s now-sadly-departed rear-drive grand touring sports sedan’s legacy lives on, claiming its own stake on the hallowed ground of Australian performance sedans, because it so closely followed the same formula. And did so with respect and class, and without stomping on anybody else’s legacy.

A de facto Aussie modern classic, then, the Stinger’s star will only continue to rise. That’s because, as with the Falcon and Commodore, they no longer make them like this anymore.