Transparency that you never felt when buying a car in the U.S.! If you've ever bought a car from a U.S. dealer, you know what I'm talking about. Dealers often withhold as much information as possible to maximize their margins. If you trust the dealer's phone promise of "just come to the dealership, we'll take care of you," you might end up spending 4-8 hours waiting and negotiating, only to pay more than you intended.

Nowadays, people buying cars often request the OTD (Out the Door) price via email before visiting the dealership. The OTD price includes all costs (taxes, fees, registration, delivery, etc.) that must be paid before leaving the dealership. Even with a well-negotiated OTD deal, dealers often add extra costs for extended warranties or adjust interest rates, leaving many with unpleasant memories of their dealership experience.

However, Amazon makes the entire process transparent, allowing customers to buy cars as easily as office supplies. Once you upload a copy of your driver's license, proof of insurance, and pay the down payment via online banking, you're done! (If you want to earn points, you can pay up to $5,000 with a credit card.)

Pickup is available at the dealership, and you can opt for an orientation and test drive. If you skip these, you can pick up your car within 45 minutes.

Feedback from buyers who purchased cars through Amazon includes:

1. They loved not having to spend much time at the dealership.
2. The prices are reasonable—similar to or lower than those offered by other dealers.
3. Amazon's customer service is excellent, with fast chat and phone support, possibly because they want to grow this new cash cow.

Drawbacks include:

1. Amazon's prices and dealer information might slightly differ.
2. It's difficult to immediately verify the vehicle identification number, rebates, and price unless you take screenshots after purchase (verification is possible after pickup).
   

When buying a Tesla, the streamlined process of completing everything online and just picking up the keys was very appealing. Amazon Auto seems to have potential and promise as a service.

Before experiencing Amazon Auto, I looked into the Costco Auto Program. However, I decided against it because it didn't offer transparent services like showing the exact discount amount or the final price online. If you're planning to buy a Hyundai, Amazon's service definitely seems better.

Buying a car at a discounted price is important, but it's equally crucial to go through the purchasing process without raising your blood pressure, managing your emotions well, and opening your wallet with a happy heart.

• Kimpton Hotel offers free tattoos to guests, creating permanent memories to commemorate their travels.

• Tattoo as a Tool for Recording Experiences
  Kimpton Hotel has immortalized 'emotions and memories during travel' by offering tattoos, catering to users' desire to embed 'memories and emotions' into products rather than just consuming them. Cars can also transcend being mere transportation and become vessels for experiences. For example, connecting moments of the user's memories and displaying them on the built-in screen (e.g., the snow seen during a drive with the first girlfriend in 2023, or the lake where they had fun together).

• New Orleans' Trumpet, New York's Water Tower
  Visual symbols that encapsulate the essence of city landmarks can foster cultural connectivity. Providing drivers with iconic visual elements from these regions as selectable icons in the car's interior could be an interesting idea.

• Kimpton Hotel has combined 'hardware' (hotel rooms) with 'story' (tattoo experience) to elevate brand emotion. Creating story-based trims like the examples below could deeply imprint memories on customers:
  - Desert Soul Edition: Interior colors, textures, and scents inspired by sand and sunsets.
  - Midnight Run Edition: Black and neon accents capturing the essence of city nightlife and quiet night drives, complemented by ambient lighting.

• Brazil's VIW Apartments feature unique swimming balconies with organic curves, combining aesthetics and functionality

Located near Ubatuba Beach in Brazil, the VIW building might not seem impressive up close, but each unit has a terrace swimming pool. Architects Ivan Ventura and Yuri Vital were inspired by the organic curves of the surrounding mountainous terrain, designing zigzag-shaped pools instead of conventional straight lines. This design not only enhances architectural beauty but also maximizes ocean views while providing privacy.

There are many ways to represent time: Pomodoro, hourglass, sundial, digital clock, analog clock, candle clock, and more. The Visual Bar Timer VBT10, created by Japanese stationery company King Jim, shows the remaining time with a decreasing bar graph instead of a circular clock. It's similar to the battery indicator on smartphones or download progress bars. 

• Familiar UI: Uses a bar-style interface that is familiar to Gen Z, enhancing visibility and usability.
• Intuitive: Clearly conveys time information with a simple bar, improving focus.
• New Visual Language: Moves away from traditional clock designs to explore modern visual communication methods.
• Affordable: Priced at around $26.95, making it accessible.
  

Many Korean-Americans living in California seek skin treatments when visiting Korea. One noticeable difference for visitors is the lack of window tinting (known as "sunting" in Korean) on cars in Korea, which can lead to skin issues due to UV exposure.

Unlike Korea, the U.S. has strict regulations on window tinting. In California, the laws are as follows:

• Front Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed only on the top 4 inches.
• Front Side Windows: Must allow more than 70% of visible light transmission (VLT).
• Rear Side Windows and Rear Windshield: No restrictions on tint darkness.
  

Violating these laws can result in significant fines:

• First Violation: $25 correction order.
• Second Violation: $197 fine.
• Third Violation: Over $200 fine, and it may affect your driving record and insurance rates.
  
  

Stop Signs 🛑 The U.S. has many stop signs, unlike Korea. Observing the other driver's face and expressions can be crucial for safety at intersections.

Street Lighting In contrast to Korea's bright LED streetlights, many areas in the U.S. have dimmer lighting, which can make night driving challenging. Dark window tinting can hinder visibility and increase the risk of rear-end collisions.

Crime Prevention Tinting regulations also serve crime prevention purposes. Dark tints can make it difficult for police to see inside vehicles, complicating their response to potential threats. Public restrooms in the U.S. often have high doors to allow visibility for safety reasons.

Below is a chart showing the different tinting restrictions by state. The U.S. is indeed a vast country with varied regulations.

If you're visiting the Kia America Design Center, don't forget to bring good sunscreen!