KOREAN design has suddenly become cool. And just like LG phones, Hyundai cars have turned trendy.

Once seen as copycats when it came to design and technology, Korean industry now makes some of the world's best products. And Hyundai is among the brands that have undergone a rapid transformation.

The South Korean car maker's model line-up includes the handsome Santa Fe sport-utility vehicle and the good-looking Avante compact sedan. While previous models looked awkward and were occasionally disproportionate - even if they were styled by Pininfarina - the newer range is prettier and almost sexy.

The 2006 Santa Fe was penned at Hyundai's design centre in California, while the recently released Avante - called the Elantra in some markets - was developed at the company's R&D centre in Germany. The results are refreshingly different from previous generations.

The Avante, for example, has a European flavour not found in earlier Avante/Elantra models. It is also bigger, wider and more spacious than its predecessor.

Apart from design, the improvements have also extended to engineering. In 2006, Hyundai was ranked by JD Power as No 3 in initial quality among all automotive brands in the United States, behind luxury marques Porsche and Lexus.

Its best-ever finish means it was the highest-ranked non-premium nameplate after an examination of quality during the first 90 days of vehicle ownership among 63,000 buyers of 235 car models.

'It's a success story for them,' said Neal Oddes, JD Power's director of product research and analysis. 'They have improved quality dramatically over the past five to seven years. It is a short time to have a huge improvement.'

As a result of these advances in quality and durability, Hyundai says public perception of its vehicles has changed in recent years, with an accompanying elevation in brand value.

But the quest for quality and refinement hasn't come cheap. The car maker's annual budget for research and development (R&D) has gone beyond US$2 billion. It has set up R&D centres in the US, Europe and Japan to complement its R&D headquarters in Ulsan, South Korea. Its R&D facilities are said to be among the most advanced worldwide.

Hyundai's focus is on developing new products and technologies, interior and exterior design changes, new-generation engines, alternative fuel systems and concept vehicles.

With R&D centres around the world, its philosophy is to build global models that will cultivate trends. To a certain extent, it has already achieved that with the 'World Engine'.

Hyundai co-developed this petrol unit with DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi, and it is built at the Korean manufacturer's Alabama plant in the US.

Besides models such as the Dodge Caliber and the latest-generation Mitsubishi Lancer, examples of this World Engine can also be found in the current Hyundai Sonata 2.0 saloon. The Hyundai brand is eyeing the world.