Growing up in Southern California in the 1980s, I used to ride along with my parents, staring out the car window and trying to spot the coolest automobiles the world had to offer. All the best wheels came to SoCal, from Ferrari 328s and Porsche Turbos to Lotus Esprits and BMW M1s. The cars that really grabbed me, though, were the ones I believed I could purchase by the time I had a license: the Toyota Corolla GTS, Volkswagen GTI, and Honda CRX and Prelude.

I wanted Hondas the most, because, as I read in such magazines as Motor Trend, they offered the best blend of technology, reliability, and affordability. The CRX Si won MT’s 1988 Import Car of the Year with its mix of 16-valve aluminum engine, four-wheel independent suspension, and $10,195 price tag. “The most exhilarating ride you’ll find this side of a formula racer,” MT wrote. The ’88 ICOY runner-up, the Prelude Si 4WS, the first production car to offer four-wheel steering, was another Honda I coveted. Honda was a pioneer, and every car enthusiast knew it......

With unbridled ambition, clout unmatched in most executive suites and workers who labor more hours than almost any on earth, Chung has fashioned Hyundai Motor Group into South Korea’s second-biggest chaebol and elevated the motor company to its centerpiece.

Hyundai and its Kia Motors Corp. (000270) affiliate are the most profitable of the world’s top six automakers, with a combined operating margin of 9.21 percent. Chung has dashed preconceptions -- and jokes -- about Hyundai’s quality by winning buyers from Mumbai to Los Angeles. Those customers kept factories that make Hyundai models humming at 104 percent of planned capacity last year......