Without a doubt, one of the defining stories of the last few years in automotive industry has been the Korean automakers’ ascent from dull, basic, bottom-feeder transportation to genuinely desirable, quality cars that people choose to buy, not merely “settle” for. I was really surprised the other day when my father, who currently drives a 2003 Chrysler 300 M Special, asked me about that “new, big Hyundai.”

Without a doubt, one of the defining stories of the last few years in automotive industry has been the Korean automakers’ ascent from dull, basic, bottom-feeder transportation to genuinely desirable, quality cars that people choose to buy, not merely “settle” for. I was really surprised the other day when my father, who currently drives a 2003 Chrysler 300 M Special, asked me about that “new, big Hyundai.” Now, the transition from a 300 M to an Azera may not seem all that shocking, but this is a man who’s owned, over his lifetime, two Mercedes-Benzes, at least two Lincolns, a Cadillac, and a Jaguar. Once he got over the “image” stage of owning a status-symbol nameplate, he became all about bang-for-the buck, and undoubtedly, the Azera delivers it by the boatload.

Kia Motors, like its hometown cousin Hyundai, likewise has steadily built a reputation of solid, capable vehicles for thousands less than the competition. But despite the proclamations of its marketing department and press releases, the product lineups of the two companies remain very similar. Granted, Hyundai is ostensibly moving “upscale” and Kia is becoming the “performance & value” brand.

So why then does Hyundai have the Tiburon, and Kia doesn’t have a corresponding model in its lineup? Also, in a little-known bit of trivia, Kia bought the rights to assemble the last-generation Lotus Elan front-drive roadster in Korea. Granted, this chassis would now be more than a decade old and quite dated by today’s standards. But does give at least some indication of Kia’s sporting pretensions going back for quite some time.

Personally, there’s nothing material stopping me from buying a Korean car. I’m well over any prejudices or doubts about their quality and reliability. But in my opinion, they’ve yet to build anything that has the “gotta have it” factor yet. At the top of my “most-wanted” list currently is a Mazdaspeed 3. This car represents a near-perfect combination of performance, practicality, style, and value in my book. If Kia cooked up a hot-rod Spectra 5 with a similar level of power and packaging for a couple grand less, I’d be one of the first to check it out.

Then why haven’t they? Who knows. Certainly, as Toyota has proven since the absence of the Supra and MR-2, it doesn’t take niche enthusiast models to produce big sales numbers. And for an intensely growth-driven company like Kia, upper management probably feel it prudent to spend their money on proven models and market segments.

But I say bring on the spicy Kimchi. Kia has established itself as a no-excuses-needed reputable player in today’s car market. I believe it’s ready and fully capable of making some zesty treats for enthusiasts on a budget. I eagerly await what the next few years will bring from its designers and engineers.

–Edward A. Sanchez