[Spoiler Alert!]

The Busan International Motor Show 2022 kicked off last Friday (July 15) after the four-year hiatus due to COVID.

I attended the show on its opening day. In this blog post, I will take you with me to the show.  

What is the Busan International Motor Show?

South Korea has two major auto shows – the Seoul Mobility Show and the Busan International Motor Show.

They are held biannually with the Seoul Mobility Show held every odd year and the Busan International Motor Show held during the even years.

The 2020 Busan’s event had been cancelled amid the pandemic, and it had been four years since the last Busan Show took place in 2018. 

What are the highlights of the Busan Motor Show 2022?

Electric Vehicles

Despite the anticipation, the scale of the exhibition had been downsized drastically.

Only six automakers attended the show, including Hyundai Motor, Kia, Genesis, BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce.

Among them, Hyundai Motors and Kia had the biggest exhibit compared to the other motor companies.

Hyundai Motors unveiled the IONIQ 6, Hyundai’s first sedan electric vehicle.  

It’s expected to be released in September of this year.  

In addition to the IONIQ 6, Hyundai Motors also introduced the large electric sports utility vehicle (SUM), called ‘Seven’.

Kia also showcased its concept car ‘Seltos’ for the first time in Korea.

BMW’s electric sedan, i7 made its debut, too.

For the first time ever, SK Telecom attended the Busan Motor Show to showcase its Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Visitors could experience an air taxi augmented reality.

Classic Cars

Vintage cars were also on display in booths.

Car show models

Although using models to pose next to cars at Motor Shows has been controversial in other areas, they are still stable in Korea. Just look how enthusiastic their fans are to take a picture of them.  Still, the show had noticeably fewer female booth models.

Are there any kid friendly facilities?

A kids playground was set up at the Kia booth featuring a Kia and Café Knotted collaboration.

There was also a zone where kids could play with dry ice bubbles.