Korean cars are doing great on their own these days, but a little help from pop culture can’t hurt. And the aid we’re talking about comes from the “That That” music video South Korean singer Psy released on Friday. The clip features a 1980s Hyundai Grandeur that seems to strengthen the artist’s connection to rapper Suga of the BTS boy band.
A decade after his Gangnam Style video became the first YouTube clip to pass one million views and prepped the world for the K-pop revolution we’re experiencing these days, the 44-year-old South Korean artist brings us a collab with a rapper whose name has become a synonym for K-pop: Suga. Not only does the 29-year-old star in the new video alongside Psy, he also co-wrote the song and produced the song—”That That” is part of the latter’s “Psy 9th” album.
Both singers tell the world how they joined forces for this production on Instagram, overcoming the age gap like this wasn’t there. And while you’ll find these details in the pair of Psy-delivered posts at the bottom of the story, it looks like their collaboration also means sharing the said Hyundai.
The first-gen Grandeur makes for the only car in Psy’s new sparkling, cowboy-themed music video and might just enter the meme culture since the two use it for memorable scenes, even climbing aboard.
Interestingly, this seems to be the same car Suga used in his Daechwita video released back in 2020. Sure, the orange trim has become blue, but even the custom wheels of the first-gen Grandeur are identical.
You’ll find both clips below, albeit with the one from two years ago seeing Suga using his Agust D persona that puts the focus on him rather than the whole BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan or “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in English) band, even though the full crew is present.
As opposed to the dust-rising appearance of two years ago, the boxy, FWD sedan gets more of a static role this time around, albeit with the fresh color scheme making for a memorable appearance.
The OG Grandeur is a big deal for Hyundai
The first Grandeur shared its platform with the Mitsubishi Debonair (Gen II). Ironically, while Hyundai’s EVs are off to a great start, led by the Ioniq 5 these days, Mitsubishi is still struggling to build an identity as a green car producer.
And in an effort to promote its expanding range of electric vehicles, Hyundai is linking these fresh arrivals to key models from its past by giving the latter the EV restomod treatment in concept car form.
It all started in 2020 with the Pony EV compact coupe we mentioned when dreaming about American rally driver/social media stunt driver Ken Block and the South Korean brand. And, in 2021, the company introduced the Grandeur EV, which will be joined by the Galloper EV—this was Hyundai’s first SUV—in the future.
