Don’t rule out Hyundai selling Kia or Genesis to Toyota

Don’t believe a word of it when you’re fed the line that motor shows are dead. For sure they’re changing – whether it’s the Geneva expo daftly decamping to Doha, or the born-again British Motor Show focusing as much on outdoor driving activities as static displays inside its exhibition halls.

Then there’s Paris. As I was starting to write this en route to the opening of what might be the most significant car-related event in Europe this year, it was clearly shaping up as the Renault Motor Show. 

France’s favourite firm somehow seems to try harder. Renault Group (which also includes Alpine, Dacia and Mobilize) has proven this by staging seven world premieres on its five Paris stands. And it’s wheeled out a couple of concept cars, too.

“Once again we’re affirming our strong commitment to motor shows,” it proudly stated. And in doing so, it has sent a defiant message to certain rival firms who apparently can’t be bothered to get out on the front line to meet, greet and sell to car buyers. I’m not sure if they’re complacent, demotivated or plain lazy, but I do know that the Renault clan is at the opposite end of the scale. It’s cleverly cleaning up on the local, national and international motor show fronts, at a time when many of its rivals are missing out.

Also on the eve of Paris, there were yet more intriguing, potentially explosive developments at Hyundai. A fortnight ago, I warned that this large, loaded car company is formally entering into a partnership deal with the even bigger and wealthier tech firm Samsung. The coming together of these two South Korean ‘royal families’ is surprising – especially because they haven’t always seen eye-to-eye.

But equally unexpected is confirmation that Hyundai Chairman Euisun Chung is about to meet up with the unlikeliest of people, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda – at, of all places, Chung’s local race track, Everland.

For historic and other complicated reasons, it’s quite rare for the South Koreans and Japanese to do business together. Even rarer is the elderly boss of Toyota flying in to see his far younger Hyundai counterpart on the latter’s local patch. 

What they’ll talk about and in what language is anyone’s guess. And the plot thickens because Hyundai uses the c-word – “collaboration” – when confirming the meeting. 

I’ve met and shared a bottle of wine with Euisun Chung, a great bloke who’s done a highly impressive job since taking over from his dad as Hyundai chairman. But he’s perhaps done all he can at his car-building empire. He’s not courting giants such as Samsung and Toyota with a view to offloading some or all of his Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, is he? Surely not. Heaven forbid. Or maybe he is?

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