In 1962, South Korea assembled just 1,100 new automobiles. By 1996, this total had soared to 2,812,714. What explains this remarkable growth? The answer is complex, and involves a combination of a supportive State, timely technology alliances, a skilled but historically low-paid workforce, aggressive pricing, savvy entrepreneurs, and fortuitous circumstances. Despite this amazing ascent, comparatively little has been written about the Korean auto industry in English. In the first of a two-volume set, this 11-chapter book seeks to help fill this void by providing in-depth examinations of all six of Korea's automakers from their beginnings through 1996. Uniquely written from the perspective of industry analysts at the time (without knowledge of the Asian Fiscal Crisis), the book should prove informative to practitioners, scholars, and students interested in automotive history, international political economy, Asian studies, and more.

A.J. Jacobs is Professor of Sociology at East Carolina University, USA.

A.J. Jacobs is Professor of Sociology at East Carolina University, USA. He is author of Automotive FDI in Emerging Europe: Shifting Locales in the Motor Vehicle Industry (2017) and The Automotive Industry and European Integration: The Divergent Paths of Belgium and Spain (2019).

Table of Contents

Part I- The Rise of South Korean Carmakers, Beginnings to 1998

1. Introduction and Overview: A Case Study of Korea's Automakers

2. The State and the Historical Development of the South Korean Auto Industry

4. Hyundai Motors: Beginnings to 1998

5. Kia Motors: Beginnings to 1998

Part II- Korea's Major Automakers Post-Asian Fiscal Crisis: 1999-2020

5. Post-Asian Crisis Uncertainty: Daewoo becomes GM Korea

6. Hyundai-Kia Post-Asian Crisis Expansion at Home

7. Hyundai-Kia Rapid Growth in North America

8. Hyundai-Kia Rapid Growth in Europe

10. Hyundai-Kia's Global Expansion: Turkey, India, Brazil and Elsewhere

11. A Brief History of Korea's Other Automakers: SsangYong and Renault-Samsung

Part III: Conclusion and Future Prospects for Korea's Automakers

Chapter 12. Technology & the Future Prospects for Korea's Automakers, 2020-2040