Up until now, we were used to seeing Japanese and later on, Korean and Chinese executives measuring and taking pictures of every detail of their rivals’ cars at major auto shows.
But now the tables have turned, and in a big way: at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show we saw none other than VW CEO, Martin Winterkorn himself, examine Hyundai’s newest C-segment hatchback, the i30.
And boy was he impressed with the i30’s quality…But at the same time, he seemed to be frustrated by the work his own staff is doing in VW Group models. “I hear nothing!” Winterkorn said about the absence of any rattles while adjusting the steering wheel. “How did they do it?,” he continued.
Clearly, the answer he got, that there is a solution but it’s too expensive, wasn’t good enough: “Why can’t we do it? BMW doesn’t know how, we don’t know how!”
Wow! BMW and VW outperformed in quality by Hyundai’s humble C-segment model? If that’s not a surprise, we don’t know what is…
Then, of all things, Winterkorn asked for a tape measure (!) and started checking the shut lines around the i30’s A-pillar.
Who would have thought that the Germans envy the Koreans for their superior interior quality! We bet right now Hyundai is feeling very flattered – and in Wolfsburg there is a lot of explaining to do. You can watch the video after the jump.
Story References: Youtube via Truth about Cars
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