Some of our readers expressed a request for a post related to racing so they can have an open discussion on the question posted in our polls, where we are asking what series of racing competition, if any, should Kia Motors join!
There are many possible ways to promote the car brand, but perhaps the most exciting and image boosting is throgh different International racing events. Until today, Kia Motors has not been participating in any International racing series.
Therefore we would like to hear your opinion which, if any, racing sereis Kia should join. Feel free to express your opinions and post some comments to the board! So, should Kia Motors be involved in motor sports?
1. WRC (World Rally Championship):
Currently dominated by Citroen and Ford; other competing brands: Skoda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki…Find more
2. F1 (Formula1):
Dominated by Ferarri and Mclaren-Mercedes. Car manufacturers participating in the F1: Ferarri, Mercedes, BMW, Renault, Toyota and Honda… Find more
3.WTCC (World Touring Car Championship)
Car manufacturers: BMW, Seat, Honda, Chevrolet, Lada…Find more
4. Paris Dakar
5. IRC (International Rally Challenge):
Dominated by Peugeot and Fiat. Other manufacturers: Honda, VW, Subaru, Mitsubishi. Joining soon: Renault… Find more
6. BTC (British Touring Car Championship)
Manufacturers: BMW, Honda, Seat, Honda… Find more
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I could choose many from this list but according to a programme I saw on discovery F1 is the no.1 motor aport and WRC is no.2 or I think that was IRC. And I like them both although personally, I feel rally is more exciting. and that what I want Kia to enter. the car for it would be forte. now I never knew there was somethin called WTCC and doesnt seem very exciting as its on a race circuit. ANd I think Paris Dakar would also be a good one to enter the Mohave in.
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Those are all pretty exciting events, perhaps the most boring among all would be the F1 racing. Sometimes you really don’t see anything happening at the track. Drivers just start drive for like an hour and a half and then they finish. No action, no overtaking, no action!
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
the best bits of F1 is when they go outa control and when a guy goes to refuel the car, the fuel pipe gets jammed and he takes off thinking the pipe has come off only to find out he ripped the pipe from the pupm and its coming along with him. lol
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
In my humble opinion… Kia Motors has reached the point where it NEEDS the passion you can only get from motorsport to help build the brand.
The Kia name is seen a lot in tennis and football, which is good to get the logo seen on TV to raise brand awareness, but when it comes to kudos, motor sport has it ialmost exclusively, and in abundance.
There is a clearly defined historical link between motorsport, special editions or performance variations within the product range, and the passion they evoke in potential car buyers. And there is a clear link to rising sales as customers are drawn in by the motorspor tag. Just ask anyone who drives a Subaru – bet they wouldn’t have bought one before it was a world rally championship manufacturer.
What Kia Motors needs is a long-term commitment to motorsport, much in the way Vauxhall has over the 16 year period it has been involved in the UKs BTCC. That brand has created numerous special editions based on motorsport success and the fan base has grown because of it.
My choice would be simple and although I don’t have the definitive suggestion for Kia Motors, tin-top racing gets my vote. If you want to narrow that down, it has to be a global sport, which kills BTCC and Paris-Dakar and, let’s face it, F1 is a mugs game – you’ll never beat Ferrari. The sport also needs to be on free-to-air TV, or no-one will see the brand in action.
So, I’ll go with rallying or to be more accurate, the next generation of WRC which is S2000. It could spawn performance versions and special editions all day long and, if successful, lots of privateers racing them all over the planet. Performing well, and consistently, with a long term commitment in either of those formula could place Kia Motors on the map as a super-cool car brand that the young-at-heart can really get passionate about.
What do you think?
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
the programme on discovery about the rally was quiet interesting. to enter the rally, at least 25 000 units of the car model enering the rally must be sold. and a 40 000 euro car can cost as much as 360 000 euros after rally modifications [Imprezza].
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I voted for WRC in the poll (because it’s exciting). Racing is only a waste for a manufacturer *if* they choose to let it be. Honda has reaped great rewards by testing and refining new technologies in racing, then applying those lessons and technology to their consumer offerings. Kia, and Hyundai for that matter, are in a position to be able to afford to spend effort on this.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I have three things in mind: Dakar. WRC and IRC. now whats the difference in W and IRC?
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Kia needs to go to racing. I do not support them to get to F1, because it’s too costly and yo hardly get any success. Just take a look at Toyota. They have been in F1 for like 10 years and each year they say this year we will make a major breakthrough and will be competing for top three places. Although they have the largest budget among all teams (more than $500millions) they always end the sason with no success.
Better decision would be WRC or S2000 cars, where you can promote your car directly. As the Liftoffoversteer mentioned, just take a look at the SUbaru. They built their image mostly on rallying and the are thousands of die hard Impreza fans out there. Except of us here, how many people do you know that love the Kia brand?
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
To promote their SUVs, Kia should also consider entering Paris Dakar rally.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
thats the reason I want both Dakar and rally. I’d be so happy to see the mohave in it! for Rally, the forte would do and it has looks as well now.
October 24th, 2008 at 2:46 am
For the best coverage and prestige it’s the Paris Dakar for me. It’d be so hard for a first time entry to win, but if the vehicles are good enough and reliable enough, what a feather in the cap it would be for Kia.
October 24th, 2008 at 5:56 am
I voted paris dakar
October 24th, 2008 at 8:11 am
I vote Stuffing the 4.6 Liter TAU engine into a Next Generation TD Spectra and go Drag Racing. Or build a Two Door Muscle Car to Compete with the Camaro or Mustang. The technology is there, I would like to talk the Koreans into doing this, but like most things, marketing would not consider doing this
Most of the Auto sports listed here Americans are not familiar with..
October 24th, 2008 at 8:46 am
hmm, I dont like all those drag racing htings. I never found tham exciting.
October 24th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
The Dutch Hutten racing team has entered several Kia Sorento in Le Dakar in three consecutive years.
2 x DNF and in 2006 they made it to Dakar.
See http://www.kiapress.com/pics/2004/1105463357-Rallye_Dakar_KIA_Sorento.jpg for a picture of the car 2005 coloring.
October 24th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
And………one can find the Kia cee’d (body) in the French Mitjet racing series.
See http://www.mitjet-series.com/public_en/compet_carrosserie_mc7.php for an impression
October 25th, 2008 at 1:33 am
Kia has already been in the Paris Dakar and finished in 2001 with the Sportage. And although the Dakar is an amazing race, for Kia I think it would be best to enter WRC and maintain a strong following there. What Subaru has done in WRC has increased what was a niche car into a world seller. While Mercedes Benz and BMW have a storied F1 and Grand Prix heritage, Subaru made it quickly in the WRC.
Kia already has the platform(s) to jump into WRC. F1 requires an entirely separate division. For example, the AWD Sportage is configured on a modified Elantra/Spectra platform. Obviously the WRC cars are heavily modified anyway, so why not make an AWD Spectra/Forte/Cerato? Especially since the engine bays will hold the Delta V6 with room to spare, a turbo and intercooler would fit perfectly with the BetaII engine that the Spectra currently employs. Tiburon owners have gotten 400whp+ on their 2.0L setups with a turbo.
October 25th, 2008 at 6:03 am
V6? WRC cars use V6? the forte will just need a 2.0l BetaII turbocharged.
October 25th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Drag racing is local. As is ice racing – the Kia Rio was owned and operated by a team remote from Kia HQ. It was actually a Lombo engine underneath, but don’t tell anyone…!!
WRC then S2000 all the way.
And bring on a 200bhp ceed’……..
October 26th, 2008 at 6:09 am
no, wrc doesn’t use the v6, i was just saying that the tiburon engine bay is really the same as the forte, allowing for larger turbos and intercoolers.
October 26th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Yeah. i get it.
October 26th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Kia needs to get onboard PS3 Gran Turismo 5 for starters…at least one variant, this is very important for the brand.
WRC would be logical but USA (largest market) would not support this expense.
Mazda has no racing programmes yet is very desirable??? we need Kia’s to handle not just look good…design will not be enough.
Where is the Spectra Evo? or the Rio Clio !!!
Korean culture needs some passion…stick the Optima 2.4 litre engine in the Rio….bang!
October 26th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
mazda does have a racing program, though. they’ve done fairly well in recent years, i think.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Racing can help improve the production build of cars. Mitsubishi comes to mind here. Yet in the recently-released story in Quality Improvement Kia comes in 10th, one notch below Mitsubishi. So obviously racing is not a cure-all for quality specks. Racing seems to be cool to those in it, mostly. I’m hideously bored by it, really. But if Kia wants to join in, so be it. It would be fun if they did increase their involvement in some aspect and some form of auto racing, if they also feel it would be cool. Know what I mean, Vern?
October 30th, 2008 at 11:57 am
IMO, Kia should step into WRC from where Hyundai left it and Hyundai should progress into F1… I’m personally an F1, A1GP (Team Korea FTMFW!!!!), Formula Drift and D1GP fanatic and also watch the occasional DTM, WRC and ARC (Aussie Rally Champs) from time to time… but yeah I don’t think Kia should be in F1 partly cos of its image but mostly because Hyundai is the parent company…
Sorry for the late response!
October 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
what do you mean kia should not be in F! cuz of its image? I mean are you saying F1′s image or Kia’s image cuz F1 is the no. 1 motorsport.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
That is your opinion and you are entitled to it.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
no. I want Kia to be in WRC but its fact that F1 is no.1 motorsport. dunno why. probably cuz the cars in it look good or cuz there are lots of turns and some hairpins in it. WRC is no.2
October 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
How can it be a fact that F1 is no.1? I’m not saying your wrong, I’m just asking.
October 30th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I dunno. personally I feel F1 is not as interesting as WRC or Dakar but according to a behind the scenes WRC programme on discovery “WRC is only 2nd most popular motorsport – just behind Formula 1″. thats what the narrator said…
October 30th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
f1 is the most advanced motorsport in the world. just do a simple google search and you will see… many innovations in cars today originated from f1…
theres gonna be an f1 race in korea in 2010 and bernie eccelstone was talking with hyundai to bring in a new team for that season… it was mainly positive but we’ll have to wait and see. i really doubt hyundai will do anything cos they did say they’d re-enter WRC this year but if kia joins WRC and hyundai joins F1, i’ll be really happy.
also f1 is going through really tough times lately so my opinion may change slightly in the future.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:23 am
The problem with F1 is you need a huge outlay of cash, with not much return. Especially if you’re not successful.
Honda engines have been successful, so that may help sell cars at the dealers, and they do push the fact of high revving non-turbo engines, which is F1. But Toyota wouldn’t have sold one vehicle I reckon because of their Formula One involvement, because they haven’t as yet been successful. Once they are, and they will, how many more cars can they sell, they are the worlds biggest manufacturer now.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
For North America, I think KIA should join the American Le Mans Series in the LMP1 or LMP2. ALMS as most of the major car company, like Ferrari, BMW, Acura ( Honda) Porshe, Mazda, Audi…
I could also see KIA join the INdy Racing League as a engine builder, there is Honda at the moment and I’m sure racing at the Indy 500 would be could for KIA’s image.
I dont own a KIA. My major reason for not buying one was lack of performance and they are not involve in motorsport. I only buy from companys that support what I enjoy, like racing!
December 31st, 2008 at 12:04 pm
himi, how did it get throught your spam filter??
December 8th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Sorry to resurrect. It’s worth noting the WRC and SWRC have been combined for 2011. Lowering the barrier to entry and favouring smaller cars.
Kia have been stepping up their game lately, much in the same way the Japanese brands did in the 90s. I’m sure a stint in WRC wouldn’t harm their image. Subaru and Mitsubishi are still living off that glory and they aren’t in it anymore.
Also Peter Solberg needs a new car and for a privateer he’s been doing very well lately. Just saying.