By Kang Gahui and Kim Young Shin 

Korean manufacturers introduced their new models at the 2018 Paris Motor Show, one of the biggest international motor shows, which opened at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles on Oct. 4.  

At this year’s motor show, the advance of eco-friendly and high performance vehicles was noticeable. The slower car sales in general and Europe’s strengthened environmental regulations pushed companies to produce eco-friendly cars for the European market.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors also focused on high performance, eco-friendliness and sport utility vehicles (SUV) to appeal to the European drivers.

Hyundai introduced its new high performance model i30 Fastback N. There were 14 additional Hyundai vehicles at the show, including the makers’ hydrogen fuel-cell SUV Nexo.  

‘i30 Fastback N,’ the third of Hyundai’s ‘N series,’ features a 2.0-liter turbo charged gasoline engine and a six-speed manual transmission with a maximum 275 horsepower and 36 kilogram-force meters of torque.  

“We plan to release it at the end of this year and keep up with the popularity of the high performance N series,” said a Hyundai official.

The hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle Nexo, recently released in the European market, was also on display. It travels 609 kilometers on a five-minute charge.



Kia unveiled its new model ProCeed, a shooting brake, at the motor show. Its electric SUV ‘Niro EV’ was also introduced for the first time to European consumers. It will go on sale in the local market by the end of the year. Niro EV, with a 64-kWh battery pack, can travel 485 kilometers on a single charge.  

Hyundai and Kia plan to compete in the European market with their line-up of eco-friendly vehicles.


kgh89@korea.kr