Playing ‘greenify my ride’ at Automotive Week
Top to bottom: Visitors at Kintex look at a Hyundai Grandeur which has been tuned for higher efficiency and to be more eco-friendly. Provided by Kintex
Starting Friday and ending today, Automotive Week 2009 was held at the Kintex convention center in Ilsan, Gyeonggi, encompassing two exhibitions, Auto Service Korea and the Korea Tuning Show.
According to the organizers, 177 companies, including 42 that specialize in tuning automobiles, participated, with 60 custom cars on display.
Foreign buyers also took interest as 102 companies from 19 countries including Russia and the U.S. sent buyers to the show. Iyasaka, a Japanese after service company, also participated.
Sports cars and concept vehicles crowded the exhibition floor at Kintex.[YONHAP]
These tuned vehicles may seem decadent, but even they aspire to be “eco-friendly,” the watchword from the Seoul Motor Show two weeks earlier.
But where the mainstream show focused on greener engines, the after service and vehicle tuning exhibitions displayed parts such as tires and injection systems designed to help drivers conserve fuel in the “green zone” set up on the exhibition floor.
One eco-friendly technology that was introduced was a digital automobile checkup system called U-Car that informs drivers when to replace old or broken parts.
The gadget even checks the condition of the vehicle’s electronics and displays the location of nearby maintenance shops. A turbo engine introduced at the exhibition raises the fuel efficiency of a vehicle while accelerating suddenly, while tuners said four aluminum wheels can help make cars lighter by as much as 120 kilograms (265 pounds).
According to the part suppliers, tinted windows also help raise fuel efficiency by 10 to 20 percent by keeping out heat and reducing the need for air conditioning.
“In general, people think tuning cars is excessive or illegal,” Kim Pil-soo, a professor of automotive engineering at Daelim College, said. “But a driver could show off individuality while contributing to the environment by installing eco-friendly parts, which recently has been gaining popularity.”
One car that attracted attention was the large Formula 1 racer on display to promote the 2010 Korea Grand Prix in Yeongam, South Jeolla.
Other sports cars at the show included a Lotus that appeared on a popular Korean television drama. Korean vehicles stuffed to the brim with extra toys also drew crowds. A Lotze that had been coated with carbon and protective film made this reporter wonder that it could possibly be the same vehicle we see on the street every day underneath.
Even a customized 1984 second-generation Pony pickup that had been covered with chromium proved popular.
Hyundai Motor’s Pony is one of the country’s oldest vehicles, and were one of the first Korean automobile models to draw significant international attention in the 1970s, when Korea was still a developing nation.
The four-day exhibition also included various seminars, on such topics as aftermarket service, environmental and performance tests, car coating techniques and the inspection, maintenance and tuning of customized vehicles.
Other attractions at Automotive Week included a pool competition with racing models, a car audio festival and an auto mechanic competition.
By Lee Ho-jeong [ojlee82@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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