BMW Korea adds diversity to flagship 5-Series

BMW Korea, the local unit of the high-end German automaker, has been adding a touch of diversity to the bestselling 5-Series, introducing high performance and luxury versions of the popular series, the company said Wednesday.“New versions of the top-selling 5-Series have been added to meet the demand of different consumer preferences,” said an official of BMW Korea.The seventh-generation new 520d, released here in February this year, was the best-selling midsize sedan among imported cars by mont

Nov. 29, 2017

SsangYong Motor‘s G4 Rexton earns top safety rating

SsangYong Motor’s large SUV G4 Rexton received top rating in this year’s crash test conducted by the Korean transport ministry, the company said Monday.G4 Rexton earned five out of five stars in terms of collision safety in the 2017 Korean New Car Assessment Program, highlighted SsangYong Motor, the local unit of India’s Mahindra & Mahindra.SsangYong Motor‘s large size SUV G4 Rexton received top safety ratings in the transport ministry’s crash test. (SsangYong Motor)The annual KNCAP is held with

Nov. 27, 2017

Mercedes-Benz sales in Korea exceeds 60,000 units

Mercedes-Benz’s combined sales in Korea are forecast to surpass the 60,000 mark in November, according to the German Automaker’s sales unit here Sunday.The combined sales of Mercedes-Benz as of October was 58,060 units, up by 30.3 percent on-year. Given the monthly average sales, the combined sales are expected to pass well over 60,000 units as of the end of November, the company said.  (Yonhap)The detailed monthly sales for November, however, remained undisclosed by the company.The 2017 sales r

Nov. 26, 2017

Renault upbeat about Korean EV market

DAEGU -- French automaker Renault Group’s top executive is optimistic about the Korean electric car market due to the government’s strong push for vehicle electrification and local firm’s advanced capabilities of car components. “When we launched our electric cars in Korea five years ago, many people were skeptical, saying the green cars will not be working in Korea,” said group’s senior vice president Gilles Normand in an interview with The Korea Herald at Daegu International Future Auto Expo o

Nov. 24, 2017

Renault Samsung unveils new EV sedan

DAEGU -- Renault Samsung Motors, the Korean unit of the French carmaker, on Thursday introduced the new full-electric vehicle, SM3 Z.E., as part of its strategy to tap into the new market of green cars here. The presentation was made by the group‘s Senior Vice President Gilles Normand at Daegu International Future Auto Expo held for four days from Wednesday at Daegu EXPO. As Korea’s only sub mid-sized EV sedan, SM3 Z.E. represents the most luxurious model among all EVs sold by Renault, incorpora

Nov. 23, 2017

[Exclusive] Hyundai vice chairman hints at Samsung partnership

DAEGU -- A top executive at Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s largest automaker, hinted Thursday at a strategic partnership with Samsung Electronics, which has been expanding into the vehicle component business in recent months. When asked by The Korea Herald about a possible partnership with the South Korean tech giant to develop electronic vehicle components and infotainment systems, Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Kwon Moon-sik said, “We will do so.” But regarding the plan and timeline, th

Nov. 23, 2017

Hyundai Motor seen eyeing car-sharing biz: report

The chances of Hyundai Motor entering the car-sharing market are high, a report by KB Securities said Wednesday, referring to Volvo‘s latest partnership with Uber.Volvo on Monday signed a deal with Uber to provide tens of thousands Volvo XC90 SUVs, specifically modified for autonomous driving, from 2019 to 2021. (Yonhap)The report noted that partnerships between original equipment manufacturers and car-sharing service providers will become more important down the road as car-sharing service firm

Nov. 22, 2017

Jeep sales in Korea jump by 44% this year

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ sport utility vehicle brand Jeep posted brisk sales in Korea this year, largely backed by the sales of its small SUV model Jeep Renegade, market data showed Monday. According to data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, the importer and distributer of the US cars sold a total of 5,543 Jeep units as of end-October, a 44.2 percent increase from 3,845 units last year.  Jeep Renegade /FCA Korea“Almost all Jeep models are posting sales be

Nov. 20, 2017

[Behind the Wheel] BMW X3 returns with enhanced stability, speed

YEOJU, Gyeonggi Province -- In the heated market of sports utility vehicles, German luxury carmaker BMW is challenging other foreign competitors here by introducing the third-generation X3, a sport activity vehicle believed to have paved the high-end SUV market.On a Sophisto Gray-colored New X3 xDrive30d M Sport, The Korea Herald went for a 210 kilometer-test drive from the company’s newly built Seongsu showroom in eastern Seoul to Sejong astronomical observatory in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, on

Nov. 20, 2017

Nissan execs taking pay cuts over bogus vehicle inspections

Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa and other executives of the Japanese automaker are returning a part of their salaries to show remorse over illegal vehicle inspections at the automaker's plants in Japan. Saikawa did not say how big the pay cuts would be or who else would take them. He said ``voluntary return of a part of his pay'' started last month and will continue through March 2018, the end of the fiscal year. Earlier Friday, Nissan submitted to the government a report on its

Nov. 17, 2017

[Exclusive] Volvo Trucks in talks with Samsung for full-electric trucks: CEO

Swedish truck manufacturer Volvo Trucks is in discussion with Samsung to develop future-generation batteries in order to commercialize trucks powered by electricity, its chief said in Seoul on Wednesday.In an interview with The Korea Herald, Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks, said the company has been in talks with the South Korean tech giant to introduce electric trucks, which are part of what the company envisions for a “greener” future. Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks, speaks

Nov. 16, 2017

PAMS2017 unveils South Korea’s first driverless shuttle

PANGYO, Gyeonggi Province -- With companies and countries worldwide striving to gain an upper hand in self-driving vehicle technology, South Korea on Thursday unveiled its first fully automated shuttle dubbed Zero Shuttle.The level-five Zero Shuttle is a 12-passenger autonomous vehicle that will begin test runs in Gyeonggi Province starting in December.Automated vehicles are classified from level zero to five by the Society of Automotive Engineers, with level five referring to full automation in

Nov. 16, 2017

Hyundai forms W50b AI fund with SKT, Hanwha Asset Management

Hyundai Motor has formed the AI Alliance Fund with Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom and Hanwha Asset Management to invest in startups that have innovative ideas and technology, the company said Thursday.The three companies will each pitch in 16.5 billion won ($14.4 million) to create the fund worth 50 billion won that is scheduled to kick off in the first quarter of next year.“The fund aims to bolster next-generation technological capabilities in analyzing global technology trends, forming coope

Nov. 16, 2017

Kia to recall Soul boxcar over steering defect

Kia Motors Corp. will recall over 9,000 Soul multi-purpose vehicles to repair a steering defect as it was discovered an initial repair may not have fixed the issue, the transport ministry said Thursday.The recall affects 9,123 Souls from the 2013-2015 model years, as "plugs" could allow a pinion gear to separate from the steering assembly, which could increase the risk of a crash.It is the second recall for the model after the Korean automaker repaired the vehicles in 2014 in the domestic market

Nov. 16, 2017

Hyundai Motor signs agreement with Michelin for EV tires

Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s top automotive company, signed an agreement for technical cooperation with French tiremaker Michelin to develop all-season electric vehicle tires, the company said Wednesday. The automaker expects the tire to heighten driving distance and energy efficiency of its electric vehicles.Hyundai Motor vice chairman Yang Woon-cheol and Florent Menegaux, chief operating officer of Michelin, signed the deal at Michelin‘s Research and Development Center in France.The new produc

Nov. 15, 2017

Top three Korean tiremakers’ Q3 operating profits fall

South Korea’s three leading tiremakers recorded decreases in operating profits in the third quarter, largely due an increase of raw material prices, industry data showed Wednesday. The country’s No. 2 tiremaker Kumho Tire suffered the brunt of its complicated sales process, which has been going on since late last year, for the third consecutive quarter.It posted an operating loss of 200 million won ($179,650) between July and September this year, compared to the 9.5 billion won of operating prof

Nov. 15, 2017

Hyundai opens innovation hub Hyundai Cradle in Silicon Valley

Hyundai Motor has opened Hyundai Cradle in Silicon Valley to serve as an innovation hub, support startups and discover future mobility technology, the company said Wednesday.Cradle stands for Center for Robotic-Augmented Design in Living Experiences.Along with looking into the areas of artificial intelligence, mobility, self-driving, smart city and robots, the center will aim to discover business opportunities created by robots and future mobility, the company said.“Hyundai Cradle will pioneer t

Nov. 15, 2017

Hyundai Motor to lead global league of hydrogen

Hyundai Motor will be leading a world coalition of businesses promoting hydrogen as a future energy source, the company said Tuesday. The automaker was named the chair company of the Hydrogen Council, a global initiative of leading energy and transport companies to promote hydrogen as a solution of the energy transition. Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Yang Woong-chul was also appointed as a rotating chairman of the 28-member council. He succeeds Takeshi Uchiyamada, chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. Ya

Nov. 14, 2017

EV sales exceed 10,000 units on extended infrastructure, subsidies

The sale of electric vehicles in South Korea has exceeded 10,000 units this year, reflecting a growing appetite for emissions-free cars and the country's improving charging infrastructure, industry data showed Monday.In the January-October period, the number of electric cars sold here was 10,075 units, much higher than the 5,099 sold in the whole of 2016, according to data from the transport ministry and the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.The three best-selling models we

Nov. 13, 2017

Hyundai, Kia’s sales recovering in China

After months of declining sales due to frosty relations between Korea and China, Beijing Hyundai Motor posted improved sales in October, the company said Sunday.The 50-50 joint venture set up by Hyundai Motor and BAIC Motor sold 80,016 units last month, down 11.1 percent compared to 90,000 units sold in October last year, the company’s data showed. Although the company remained in the red, its performance in China is gradually recovering, compared to the 56.6 percent on-year sales drop seen in t

Nov. 12, 2017