BTS' latest music video, Permission to Dance, hit over 20 million views in its first three hours of being live. Promotional photos saw the Bangtan Boys washing cars in a 1950s American-inspired setting. With a classic car wash, and draped in denim, they scrubbed two rust buckets at a gas station. This may have left you asking what do the group really drive?
Over the past decade, BTS has slowly been propelled into stardom, becoming the highest-grossing band of all time. Having recently made a comeback with hit songs Butter and Permission to Dance, they've followed up last year's "bop" Dynamite with yet another hit. The group consists of seven members, all born and raised in Korea. They go by the stage names V, Jimin, Jin, Suga, J-hope RM, and Jungkook.
Throughout their career, they've fostered relationships with well-known Korean brands, primarily Samsung. But within the automotive space, they've become affiliated with Hyundai, appearing in a series of their commercials, traveling in Hyundais on their reality show Run BTS and even visiting one of the brand's dealerships in an episode.
So without further ado, let's take a closer look at what the members of BTS drive.
Travelling To Events
As is common for K-Pop idols such as BTS, Twice, and Blackpink, they often travel to and from concerts individually for security reasons. On the Love Yourself Tour, the group was involved in a car crash on a Taiwan Highway where their convoy of seven vehicles got caught in an incident, with three becoming a part of a pileup, but all avoided injury.
Luxury cars not only cushion everyday life but also any impact. Due to the group's relationship with Hyundai, they often arrive at concerts and award shows in their cars. Posing for group shots, they've been in front of both Hyundai Nexos and Pallisades, models that Hyundai is pushing heavily as they try to eat into the SUV market.
This relationship stretches further with the group's collaboration with the Korean manufacturer in a promotional song called "I'm On it," released in 2020, this trippy music video sees the room rotating around the group as they sing and occasionally repeat the word IONIQ and how it will get them there, wherever that may be.
The marketing department also didn't miss the opportunity to make a pun saying they were #InCharge of the Electric Vehicle. Truly a ringing endorsement for the electric car, which like BTS as a group, is a large part of South Korea's future.
But this doesn't mean that the group stary away from their home country's other large manufacturers; in 2019, they arrived as a group in Kia Grand Carnival Mini Vans, a less stylish choice of vehicle than their usual high-end luxury models that come fitted with excessive amounts of chrome.
Personal Collections
V, also known as Taehyung, is the proud owner of a Genesis GV80 SUV. The car from Hyundai's luxury brand doesn't come cheap at over 66 million Won (around $57,380). V wears his Korean affiliation proudly. Other members have found an affinity with German production cars; Jimin is reported by the Army (BTS fans) to have been seen getting out of a Porsche Panamera GTS.
In 2020, Jungkook purchased a Mercedes-Benz GT63S. Jin's tastes for vehicles are the most expensive, having been seen in both a 911 Turbo S, the everyday supercar, another Panamera GTS, but most impressively a Lamborghini Aventador S in a light blue color.
The Lamborghini is capable of hitting 60 MPH in less than three seconds, and with a 6.5-liter V12, it makes an impressive noise. Surprisingly Jin isn't the member who had a controversial moment at the wheel. According to ABC News Jungkook, 2019 collided with a taxi and admitted to breaking a traffic law; it's not known what car this was in.
The groups day to day is more mundane, and they do travel together outside of major events. In 2017, Jimin uploaded a video of himself in Jin's Panamera. Videos like these aren't uncommon. Jin was once seen in a Porsche, serenaded fans with a performance of Dynamite last year as the group was forced to take a break from touring during the pandemic.
Some Don't Drive
RM, also known as Namjoon, the group's leader and tallest member, isn't known to own a car. It's thought that at the age of twenty-six, the star doesn't have his driving license yet. BTS debuted in 2013, with Namjoon only being 18, but he'd been in training from the age of 16. With every aspect of his life being regimented from his diet, time in the gym, and a hectic schedule of practicing to perform, the singer would have had little time to learn to drive.
But Namjoon has been pictured enjoying bike rides. It appears that the slower pace of life is more appealing to him, and this came through on his song Bicycle earlier this year. The group also has little need to drive. Big Hit Entertainment willingly chauffer the group to where they need to be, both to facilitate their success but also to prevent any PR missteps; so it's hard to argue that Namjoon is missing out on anything.