Hyundai’s high-performance business in Europe growing rapidly

PARIS -- South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor has focused on developing high-performance cars in recent years, in an attempt to diminish its not-so-positive image of being a fast follower. And the strategy is working quite well, especially in Europe, the home of luxury carmakers more than a century old. Sales of Hyundai’s first car under its high-performance brand N have exceeded market expectations. The carmaker has sold 3,777 units of the i30N between January and August this year, 35 percent

Oct. 5, 2018

Adding an artful touch to CSR: Han Sung Motor focuses on coloring Seoul, nurturing young artists

Nineteen-year-old art student Myohwa, who believes the meaning of peace is “health for every cell in one’s body,” hopes to change people’s perception of life through her artwork. And Han Sung Motor, the largest official dealer for Mercedes-Benz Korea, has supported her for the past six years as she strives to achieve her aspirations.Aimed at nurturing emerging artists like Myohwa, who will someday lead the art scene in Korea and the world, Han Sung Motor launched the Dream Gream art scholarship

Oct. 4, 2018

Driven by design, quality, Hyundai and Kia’s sales in Europe to surpass 1m units this year

PARIS -- Still considered young brands, South Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia are expected to sell more than 1 million vehicles in Europe this year, 41 years after they entered the continent home to car manufacturers aged more than 100 years old. In the January-August period, the two carmakers under Hyundai Motor Group sold a total of 715,050 passenger vehicles in Europe, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Hyundai saw a steep growth in sales in the same period, sell

Oct. 3, 2018

Renault Samsung’s unionized labor to stage strike over wage dispute

The labor union of Renault Samsung Motors is set to stage a partial strike Thursday, its first strike in four years, in a move that could lower the carmaker’s chances of renewing its contract on production of the Nissan Rogue sport utility vehicle next year, industry insiders said Wednesday.Ahead of the Chuseok holiday last month, the union held a vote, and 85.1 percent agreed to stage a strike after failing to reach a consensus in wage negotiations with the company.The union is pushing for a 10

Oct. 3, 2018

Korean carmakers gear up for bigger presence in Europe

PARIS -- With the French capital raising the curtain on new cars targeting customers in Europe, Korean carmakers are gearing up to accelerate sales growth in the region with cars designed to be both dynamic and energy efficient.At the Paris Motor Show, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia Motors unveiled new cars exclusively designed to target the audience here.Kia introduced the ProCeed, a five-door wagon developed to continue the success of

Oct. 2, 2018

Lexus Korea launches best-seller seventh-generation ES 300h

Lexus Korea has released its best-selling seventh-generation premium hybrid sedan ES 300h six years after the previous model, stepping up its hybrid portfolio, the company said Tuesday.“South Korea was the second most sold market worldwide for the ES 300h after China last year. It is also the first country in Asia for the new-generation ES 300h to begin sales,” said Nobuyuki Takemura, president and CEO of Lexus Korea, at a launch event in eastern Seoul.He added that customers will be satisfied w

Oct. 2, 2018

Paris Motor Show to shine spotlight on evolution of EVs

Reflecting growing interest in battery-only cars, the Paris Motor Show, the largest auto festival in the second half of the year, kicks off Tuesday, featuring a variety of green cars ready for market debuts.From sport utility vehicles to compact cars, the show will present a series of world premieres, but the size of the show is likely to be smaller than previous editions, with a group of carmakers skipping the event.It is considered one of the five major auto shows in the world, but it has been

Sept. 30, 2018

Renault Samsung struggles with sales skid, unresolved wage talks

Despite signs of South Korea’s domestic auto market on track for a sales recovery, Renault Samsung Motors, the local unit of French carmaker Renault, has been hit with plummeting sales and constant friction with its labor union in wage negotiations, industry experts said Friday. It looks set to miss this year’s goal to sell 100,000 vehicles on the local market. The automaker sold 55,630 units here, down about 18 percent on-year, between January and August, data from the company showed. Among fiv

Sept. 28, 2018

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance tops H1 global sales

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, the world’s largest automotive alliance, has topped global sales in the first half by selling 5.53 million units, the company said Wednesday. The Franco-Japanese partnership topped the list again this year for the second time, with a 5.1 percent increase on-year. It took the top honor last year. The sales growth was driven by increased demand for crossovers, sport utility vehicles and pickups as well as zero-emissions electric and hybrid-electric models, the alliance s

Sept. 26, 2018

[Hydrogen Korea] Car from the future: Nexo excels but faces hydrogen indifference

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles on South Korea’s latest measures to support the hydrogen economy, the market drive for hydrogen-powered vehicles and the hurdles that stand in the way. This is the fifth installment. -- Ed.(Video shot and produced by Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald)Surrounded by gasoline cars at the Yongin expressway service area, south of Seoul, a midsized sport utility vehicle with a sleek body and grey matte finish caught the eye of motorists. Looking unfamil

Sept. 26, 2018

Hyundai Motor Chief Vice Chairman Chung to return from US mission

Hyundai Motor Group Chief Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun is expected to return home over the weekend after a weeklong trip to the US to persuade officials to allow exemptions from auto tariffs, industry insiders said Friday.According to Hyundai Motor, Chung flew to the US earlier this week to meet with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and officials to convey the automaker’s concerns and economic contributions, amid US President Donald Trump’s push to slap 25 percent tariffs on imported automobiles.Th

Sept. 21, 2018

Coupang’s Rocket Delivery reaches 1 billion mark in 4 years

Coupang’s Rocket Delivery has surpassed 1 billion deliveries four years after the South Korean e-commerce firm started the end-to-end service, the company said Thursday.To bring innovation to the e-commerce market, the company has built its own logistics center and hired deliverymen to handle the entire process from product purchase to door-to-door delivery. The speed of the service is key so customers can receive the products they ordered the next day, the company said. Rocket Delivery is the f

Sept. 20, 2018

Hyundai Motor enters green commercial vehicle market with hydrogen trucks

Hyundai Motor will supply 1,000 hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks to Europe over the next five years, making its debut on the continent’s green commercial vehicle market, the company said Thursday.The South Korean carmaker signed a memorandum of understanding with Swiss hydrogen company H2 Energy at the trade show IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018 held in Hanover. H2 Energy Chairman Rolf Huber (second from left) speaks at a press conference held on the sidelines of IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018 in Han

Sept. 20, 2018

Police raid BMW parts supplier in probe of vehicle fires

Police raided a parts supplier of BMW Korea on Thursday as part of a probe into suspicions the Korean unit of the German carmaker covered up vehicle defects that led to dozens of engine fires in recent months. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent investigators to the supplier's headquarters in the southern city of Yangsan and its research center near Seoul.  The company supplies exhaust gas recirculation coolers and pipes, which BMW blamed for more than 40 vehicle fires this year. (Yonhap)B

Sept. 20, 2018

Inter-Korean railway will turn S. Korea global logistics hub: experts

South Korea will become a global logistics hub benefitting giants in the industry here if a railway project aimed at reconnecting the South and the North is realized, experts at a forum in Seoul on Tuesday.“Strained ties between the South and the North have blocked the (international) logistics flow. But if the inter-Korean railway is reconnected all the way to Busan, neighboring countries will enjoy a large convenience in terms of time and costs,” said Na Hee-seung, head of the Korea Railroad R

Sept. 18, 2018

Audi Korea fulfills environment responsibilities through A3

Audi Korea delivered 700 units of the 2018 A3 40 TFSI compact sedan last month through its eight official used car dealerships nationwide, the company said Tuesday.Under a law enacted to improve air quality in capital regions, which was revised in 2013, carmakers that sell over 4,500 units annually are required to make up 9.5 percent of their sales with low-emissions cars such as pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.Audi Korea’s quota for this year is 3,000 units, which it has fulfilled th

Sept. 18, 2018

Dispute-free SsangYong Motor to aim overseas with new SUVs

Upon reaching a much-awaited consensus to reinstate remaining dismissed workers, SsangYong Motor, the local unit of Indian car maker Mahindra & Mahindra, vowed to make forays into overseas markets with three new models to be released next year, the company said Sunday.The carmaker’s management, labor union and the Korea Metal Workers’ Union agreed last week to reinstate 119 dismissed assembly workers who had been let go in 2009 when then-largest shareholder China’s state-run automaker SAIC Motor

Sept. 16, 2018

Hyundai heir promoted to oversee group

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo promoted his son Chung Eui-sun to executive vice chairman, a new position created to assist his father, the company said Friday.The heir to the world’s fifth-largest carmaker has worked as the vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Corp. so far. The promotion will give him authority to oversee the entire operation of the Hyundai Motor Group, of which Hyundai Motor Corp., is a part. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun (Yonhap)According to

Sept. 14, 2018

Labor questions GM’s HR decision

After a brief compromise, unionized laborers of GM Korea said they oppose the company’s decision to relocate an executive previously in charge of laying off workers at its Gunsan factory that shut down in May to its headquarters.GM Korea has named Lee Dong-woo, senior vice president who headed overall operations of the Gunsan factory, as the head of the Bupyeong manufacturing site. The unionized workers claimed that Lee had pressured workers to retire voluntarily by telling them that they would

Sept. 13, 2018

Business chiefs: Hydrogen can power digital innovation

Hydrogen can speed up the evolution of digital technologies and is a reliable source of energy that can tackle climate change, said CEOs from global companies that gathered for an annual forum on the alternative energy on Thursday.“Together, we can deliver concrete solutions while ensuring a sustainable future. We believe hydrogen is key to power the digital revolution,” said Benoit Potier, CEO and chairman of Air Liquide and co-chair of the Hydrogen Council.Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Yang Woon

Sept. 13, 2018