05-04-2021, 01:56 AM
Hyundai's new-ish headquarters is down the road a bit from my office. Their office is askew of the normal line of office complexes in the area. Beautiful building, visible from the 405, with all of the latest models on risers visible from the highway. We hired a guy who worked there, selling extended warranties, telling us it was the most boring job in the world. I asked him why the building sat at an angle from the rest of the buildings in the area. His explanation was that in Korean business culture, it's good luck for the building to sit in a particular direction. I thought that was pretty interesting.
Most car companies, foreign brands in particular, set up headquarters in Southern California, which has a car-centric culture. It was believed that California was on the cutting edge of automotive trends, and that what was cool here eventually spread to the rest of the country. With all of the aviation and aerospace in the area, there was also no shortage of engineers. Almost every brand at least has a style and design center here. CALTY was Toyota's design center, and their first model that came to market was the '77 Celica. I didn't know where CALTY was, until I stumbled across it a few months ago on an urban hike in Newport Beach. I poked around and saw a few prototypes in the parking lot until I was shooed away by a security guard.
Along with Hyundai, Kia and Mazda are also a stone's throw from my office. Yamaha is nearby, but apparently leaving, and Suzuki is a few cities north of us. There's still a presence here.
Most car companies, foreign brands in particular, set up headquarters in Southern California, which has a car-centric culture. It was believed that California was on the cutting edge of automotive trends, and that what was cool here eventually spread to the rest of the country. With all of the aviation and aerospace in the area, there was also no shortage of engineers. Almost every brand at least has a style and design center here. CALTY was Toyota's design center, and their first model that came to market was the '77 Celica. I didn't know where CALTY was, until I stumbled across it a few months ago on an urban hike in Newport Beach. I poked around and saw a few prototypes in the parking lot until I was shooed away by a security guard.
Along with Hyundai, Kia and Mazda are also a stone's throw from my office. Yamaha is nearby, but apparently leaving, and Suzuki is a few cities north of us. There's still a presence here.