Korea is the fifth largest producer and fourth largest exporter of motor vehicles in the world. Until the controversial Free Trade Agreement of last year, its car market was closed, as U.S. taxpayers bolstered its economy with massive amounts of defense spending more than 50 years after the Korean war.
The Chevrolet Corvette, goes on sale for the first time on Friday 4 May in the heretofore government restricted auto market in South Korea. The Corvette Coupe is priced at KRW 86.4 million ($76,399) and a special leather interior package is available at KRW 3 million ($2,653) – a 50% premium over the U.S. price of $50,575. Corvette coupe models are powered by the 430-horsepower generic neurontin (321 kW) LS3 V8.
“The Corvette is an exceptional product that no other Korean manufacturer can match,” said GM Korea President and CEO Sergio Rocha. “As the most exciting Chevrolet product, the Corvette Coupe will raise the bar for the brand and its products, and broaden our base of Chevrolet customers in Korea .”
Korea is the fifth largest producer and fourth largest exporter of motor vehicles in the world, and up until the controversial Free Trade Agreement of last year , its car market had been closed to outsiders, even as U.S. taxpayers prop up its economy with massive amounts of defense spending more than 50 years after the Korean war or so called “police action” ended.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
