A Milestone for Women in Auto at the Busan Auto Show in Korea

Rita Cook |

Updated: Aug 19, 2018

Hyundai Ioniq Wins The Supreme Award — Hyundai Ioniq wins the Supreme Award. Photo: Rita Cook

History was recently made in Korea when three women in auto, from around the world, took part in the Busan Auto Show.

Hyundai executives invited women from the Women’s World Car of the Year to participate in this year’s event. As the only juror for the organization from the United States, I took the trip to Seoul along with Sara Soria from Spain and Women’s World Car of the Year founder Sandy Myhre from New Zealand.

Hyundai Ioniq Wins The Supreme Award

Myhre presented the trophy to the Hyundai executives for the Ioniq winning the supreme award. The wooden trophy depicts a koru design (a new symbol of the spiral unfolding of silver fern fronds). The koru was inlaid with paua shell (mother-of-pearl) and made in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Soria presented the certificate for the Hyundai Ioniq winning in the organization’s Supreme Award category.

For my part, I presented the certificate to Hyundai for the Ioniq winning in the Green Car category. The trophy and certificates were presented to Mr. Peter Schreyer, one of three president-level executives at Kia Motors and head of global design strategy for both Hyundai and Kia brands.

The setting at Korea’s Busan International Motor Show marked three models in the Ioniq range winning the Supreme Award and the Green Car category in the Women’s World Car of the Year awards for 2017.

This Is The First Time A Group Of Women Have Been Invited To Attend An Auto Event In Korea

A First For Women In Korea

It is the first time that three women motoring writers specifically have been invited to Asia as a group. Overall, the women motoring writers spent three days in Korea and had the chance to not only present the awards but also spend time with Schreyer discussing future strategies for the automaker’s platform in the future.

Time was also spent with Mr. Zayong Koo, Vice President and Head of Global PR for Hyundai Motor Company. “I think this is very nice because we are not only making cars for men but for everyone,” Schreyer.

He also added in regard to the eco-friendlier cars available today that there is a different philosophy, but that should not mean boring since “there is a constant flow of trends coming from society these days.”

The New Hyundai Nexo, It’s The Next Big Thing

After the Busan Auto Show, the Women’s World Car of the Year judges visited the Namyang Research and Development Centre, the design studio at Gooyang and we got our first look at the new Hyundai Nexo, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered crossover SUV.

“Being able to present the trophy at the Busan show is a noteworthy step forward for this important consumer market and Hyundai Motor Company should be congratulated for organizing the initiative,” Myhre concluded.