[Photo News] Hyundai chief's green zone project

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun (center) participates in a corporate social responsibility program designed to curb desertification in the region of Qagan Nor, Neimenggu, China, by making walls with tree branches to prevent grass seeds from flying off in the wind. Since 2008, the South Korean carmaker has carried out the Hyundai Green Zone project to turn infertile deserts into grassland in China. (Hyundai Motor Group)

Aug. 22, 2019

Mercedes-Benz Korea expands logistics center

Mercedes-Benz Korea, a local importer and distributor of German luxury cars, has expanded its logistics center in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, 150 kilometers south of Seoul, the company said Wednesday. The changes required a 35 billion won investment. The logistics center opened in 2014 and its space has doubled from 17,800 square meters to 30,500 square meters after the yearlong project. The expanded center can house about 50,000 kinds of spare parts, as compared with 28,000 before the expansion

Aug. 21, 2019

GM Korea union enters partial strike for higher wages

Unionized workers at GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., on Tuesday entered a two-day partial strike, demanding higher wages. GM Korea workers held a four-hour strike on Tuesday and plan to stage another four-hour walkout on Wednesday, GM union spokesman Dang Sung-geun said over the phone. "Union leaders will hold a meeting on Thursday to decide on whether to enter another round of strikes," he said. GM Korea and its union have held seven rounds of talks since Ju

Aug. 20, 2019

SsangYong Motor launches gasoline-powered Korando

Amid waning market demand for diesel-powered sport utility vehicles, SsangYong Motor unveiled the gasoline model of the Korando on Tuesday, to boost sales of its SUV brand. The carmaker has improved safety of the 1.5-liter turbo gasoline model by installing seven air bags and other safety features, including lane keeping assist, driver awareness assist and autonomous emergency braking systems. The launch came six months after the company unveiled the 2.0-liter diesel Korando here in February. Th

Aug. 20, 2019

S. Korea to ban Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche cars in emissions scandal

South Korea will ban domestic sales of eight models of Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche diesel cars for violating emissions regulations, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday.The ministry said it will also slap fines on Audi Volkswagen Korea and Porsche Korea and seek a prosecution investigation.The ministry's probe has found that the German automakers manipulated pollution control devices used in those vehicles. A total of 1,261 cars in the eight models were sold in South Korea from May 2015 to

Aug. 20, 2019

[Foreign Executives] Han Sung Motor revenue triples under Ausprung leadership

In the trendy industry of luxury automobiles -- particularly in a country where the market is highly volatile, depending on social and even political factors -- sustaining a respected premium business is indeed a challenging task. Balancing confidence with humility with accrued sophistication, Han Sung Motor CEO Ulf Ausprung is responsible for the stellar performance over the past few years of the largest official Mercedes-Benz dealer here.According to CEO Score, a local corporate tracker, Han S

Aug. 18, 2019

Posco’s high-end cryogenic steel for LNG tanks gets green light

The government has approved the use of Posco’s cryogenic high manganese steel for manufacturing liquefied natural gas storage tanks, the company said Tuesday.The decision made after a review by an independent panel on gas technology standardization will be notified by the government, it added.Cryogenic HMS developed by the South Korean steel giant, can withstand temperatures as low as minus 196 degree Celsius, and could replace nickel alloy steel which has been commonly used for LNG storag

Aug. 13, 2019

Hyundai Mobis to supply homegrown radar, camera sensor for commercial vehicles

South Korean auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis said Tuesday it will supply collision-warning features including radar and camera sensors, developed in-house, for Hyundai Motor’s commercial vehicles starting September.The forward-looking sensor and radar automatically detect objects that are up to 170 meters ahead, and reduce the speed of vehicles to avoid collision with other vehicles. Hyundai Motor is applying such driver-assist features in its commercial vehicles for the first time. Mobis&r

Aug. 13, 2019

Tesla Model 3 launches in Korea

US carmaker Tesla Motors’ Model 3 landed in South Korea on Tuesday, with the local branch starting to receive orders via its website. The price of the Model 3 starts from 52 million won ($43,000) without a government subsidy of 9 million won. The company plans to request for state subsidies. The first batch of the Model 3 will be delivered to customers starting in the final quarter, it said in an email statement. The smallest sedan by Tesla has three trims, including a high-performance ver

Aug. 13, 2019

Sales of German cars rise amid boycott of Japanese products

Amid a nationwide boycott of Japanese goods, including fashion items, household products and cars, sales of Japanese vehicles waned last month, while sales increased for German carmakers, industry data showed Sunday. According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, Japanese automotive companies, such as Toyota, sold a combined 2,674 units of vehicles in July, taking up 13.7 percent of market share, down 6.7 percentage points from the previous month.　This marked the

Aug. 11, 2019

Hyundai Motor’s Nexo scores highest safety rating from IIHS

Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle Nexo has earned the Top Safety Pick+ award from US’ Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the carmaker said Sunday.It was the first time for IIHS to evaluate a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and also to give an award.According to IIHS, Nexo has earned top ratings in moderate overlap front, driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. It also received &ldqu

Aug. 11, 2019

SsangYong Motors mulls self-rescue plans amid financial woes

SsangYong Motors, the South Korean unit of India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, is seeking measures to revive its business amid dwindling sales and liquidity woes, according to the company Tuesday.According to a letter sent to employees, SsangYong Motor CEO Yea Byung-tae said the company would conduct an organizational reshuffle in September to normalize business. The company will also reduce 10 to 20 percent of its senior executive workforce in the annual reshuffle slated for February, as wel

Aug. 6, 2019

[Behind the Wheel] Going fast and furious at Mercedes-Benz AMG Driving Academy

YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province -- For many, driving is fun and a way to relieve stress. But that’s only the case when you are not on the jam-packed downtown roads.Although automakers boast about acceleration and maximum torque, drivers don’t get a chance to fully experience the car’s capacity, not to mention drifting through curves and feeling the full potential of the engine. At Mercedes-Benz’s AMG Driving Academy, however, all are possible.  One can hop on a range

Aug. 5, 2019

Sales of Japanese imported vehicles dip in Korea amid trade feud

Sales of imported cars from Japan fell by double digits in July, amid an escalating trade feud between Korea and Japan and a subsequent Korean boycott of Japanese goods. According to data released Monday by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, the number of newly registered cars from Japanese carmakers dropped 17.2 percent to 2,674 units in July, down from 3,229 units registered the same time last year.Compared with 3,946 units registered in June, the figure was also do

Aug. 5, 2019

Aston Martin to display W2b Valhalla at Coex this weekend

Aston Martin Seoul said Thursday that it would be unveiling its newest hypercar, Valhalla, through Sunday at Coex in southern Seoul.The Valhalla, scheduled to be released in 2021, will be limited to production of just 500 units around the world, and comes with the hefty price tag of about 2 billion won ($1.68 million) here.The Valhalla will be on display at a special exhibition hall in front of Megabox Coex. A video explaining the philosophy and technology of Aston Martin will be shown alongside

Aug. 1, 2019

[Behind the Wheel] With segment-blurring Seltos, Kia adds premium to small SUV lineup

When Kia Motors said its latest compact sport utility vehicle Seltos would be a game-changer in the local SUV market, the company was met with doubts, as the automaker already has three other small SUVs -- the Stoniq, Soul and Niro. But upon the official launch of Seltos this month, and with a single test-drive of Seltos, feelings of doubt immediately changed to pleasant surprise. Driving Seltos on a 65-kilometer route from Wonju, Gangwon Province, to Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, it was c

July 30, 2019

Indonesian minister confirms Hyundai’s new plant

An Indonesian Cabinet member has confirmed Hyundai Motor’s plan to build a new manufacturing factory with a $1 billion investment into the country, according to local media. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said he met the carmaker’s de facto leader Chung Euisun on Friday to discuss the investment plan and that the carmaker has secured a plot for construction on western Java Island, Indonesian newspaper Kompas reported Sunday. The planned factory wil

July 29, 2019

Hyundai, Kia sell over 90m vehicles outside S. Korea

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Monday they have sold over 90 million vehicles in accumulated overseas sales.  As of the end of June, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 90,189,640 vehicles in global markets except for South Korea. The vehicles sold outside the country were shipped from the carmakers' domestic and overseas plants, according to the data.Helped by robust sales of their SUVs in the United States, the companies expect to sell over 100 million aut

July 29, 2019

Hyundai Motor to launch AI center in Silicon Valley this year

Hyundai Motor Group plans to launch a research unit of its artificial intelligence division in the heart of Silicon Valley within this year, establishing its first overseas division entirely for AI development, the company said Thursday.The AIR Center will be the latest addition to Hyundai Motor’s AI projects. The carmaker launched the Artificial Intelligence Research Lab late last year and hired Kim Jeong-hee, a South Korean expert in deep learning and former leader of Naver Lab’s i

July 25, 2019

Hyundai Motor chief meets Indonesian leader for future investments

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun on Thursday held talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo to discuss the carmaker’s market entry and future investment plans, according to the company.Chung is the first South Korean conglomerate leader to meet President Widodo after his election victory in May. During the meeting held at the presidential palace in Jakarta, the Indonesian leader reportedly sought more investments by Hyundai in the country, touting the carmaker as

July 25, 2019