Local communities, suppliers step up to keep GM in Korea

Municipal offices, local businessmen and suppliers to GM Korea are stepping up efforts to help GM Korea, which is struggling with mounting deficits amid rumors of its business withdrawal, officials in the industry said Wednesday.Workers at GM Korea’s Bupyeong plant, a local business group and Chevrolet retailers in the nearby port city Incheon plan to sign an agreement Thursday to boost sales of the US car brands and revitalize the local economy largely connected to the operation of the Korean b

Oct. 25, 2017

Renault Samsung’s New QM3 highlights storage efficiency

Storage efficiency sets apart Renault Samsung’s New QM3 from other small sport utility vehicles, the company said Wednesday in its promotion of the urban crossover.The vehicle’s boot capacity can reach up to 1,235 liters when its adjustable seats are fully folded, according to the firm. The new model’s trunk has up to 455 liters of space when the seats are pushed forward, 78 liters more than the previous model.  Renault Samsung’s New QM3’s boot space (Renault Samsung)Renault Samsung’s New QM3 al

Oct. 25, 2017

Hyundai to invest $5m in US center for mobility

Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday it will invest $5 million in a US vehicle research and development center, a move aimed at helping it develop next-generation automotive technologies. The South Korean automaking conglomerate has made the investment decision to seek cooperation in next-generation car technologies and test the technologies at a large-scale R&D and test center being built by the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.  This rendered image provided by Hyundai

Oct. 25, 2017

[Exclusive] LG Electronics launches new R&D base in UK for automotive business

A vehicle component unit under South Korea’s LG Electronics has established its new base in the United Kingdom to expand its automotive business with car manufacturers in the fast growing European market.The tech giant has opened a research and development center at the University of Warwick Science Park in the city of Coventry, and is registered as a tenant in the academia-industrial cluster, based on information provided by market insiders exclusively to The Korea Herald. The center marks LG’s

Oct. 24, 2017

[Monitor] Premium German cars sell well in Korea

Despite the so-called “dieselgate” scandal and aggressive marketing by Japanese carmakers, South Koreans remain largely loyal to German cars such as those by BMW and Mercedes-Benz Korea, data showed.According to BMW Korea on Sunday, some 3,200 BMW 5 Series models were sold in September, making Korea the second-largest market for the automaker after the US.Benz has also continued to top the imported car market here, selling 5,606 vehicles last month, according to the Korea Automobile Importers &

Oct. 23, 2017

Korean auto firms may see sales recovery in Saudi Arabia

Sales of Korean car makers in Saudi Arabia may pick up after the country lifted a ban on women driving, according to a local trade agency Monday. Saudi Arabia decided last month that it would start allowing women who are in their 30s or older to drive from June 2018, partially ending the controversial regulation. (Yonhap)According to the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, the rule change will create an increase in auto demands as women will emerge as potential drivers. Of the total 10 mill

Oct. 23, 2017

Samsung Electronics to pick new CEO this week

Samsung Electronics may pick a successor to its CEO and Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun, as early as this week, after the top executive announced plans to retire, corporate sources said Sunday.Insiders familiar with the world’s largest computer chip and smartphone manufacturer said there could be a move to appoint a new chief to head the device salutation and display business area that Kwon is in charge of.The vice chairman announced on Oct. 13 that he plans to step down in early 2018. (Yonhap)“To ge

Oct. 22, 2017

SsangYong seeks plan B for China plant over THAAD woes

A plan by SsangYong Motor to build its first overseas plant in China could go back to square one due to growing anti-Korean sentiment in China over the Korean government’s decision to deploy an anti-missile system here, the company’s chief executive said Friday.At a meeting with Korean reporters, SsangYong President and CEO Choi Johng-sik said the plan that involves Shaanxi Automobile Group as a joint venture partner has been making slow progress since a diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Beij

Oct. 22, 2017

Sales of luxury cars in Korea exceed those of richer countries: data

Sales of luxury cars in South Korea exceed those of richer countries, industry data showed Sunday.Numbers provided by foreign carmakers and the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association showed South Koreans bought more new BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz E-class cars than Germans and neighbors in Japan from late last year to early 2017.Data also showed demand for top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz S-class and those made by Rolls-Royce with price tags in the hundreds of millions of won ra

Oct. 22, 2017

Korea to mandate emergency braking system on all vehicles

South Korea's transport ministry said Thursday it will require all vehicles and large trucks to have an advanced emergency braking system and lane departure warning system to improve safety on the road. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will revise vehicle safety regulations to require the automatic safety systems as part of efforts to reduce drowsy driving-related crashes.  (Yonhap)Currently, commercial vehicles longer than 11 meters and trucks and special purpose vehic

Oct. 19, 2017

Hyundai Jan-Sept China sales plunge 42% amid THAAD woes

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday its sales in China plunged 42 percent in the January-September period amid the long-drawn bilateral diplomatic row over an anti-missile system.  From January to September, Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. sold a combined 702,017 vehicles, down from 1.2 million units from a year earlier, according to the companies' sales data. Hyundai Motor suffered a 37-percent on-year decline at 489,340 autos in the first nine months and Kia Mo

Oct. 19, 2017

LG Electronics joins ties with Qualcomm on self-driving auto components

LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it has inked an agreement with US chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. to tap deeper into the industry for self-driving automobile parts.Under the agreement, the two companies opened a join research lab for V2X technology in Seoul. They also plan to establish another research center in South Korea by the end of this year. (AP-Yonhap)The V2X technology, which refers to "vehicle to everything," focuses on bolstering connectivity among cars, infrastructure and pedestrians to en

Oct. 19, 2017

Hyundai Mobis develops world's first air bags for sun roofs

Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's largest auto parts maker by sales, has developed an air bag system for a sun roof for the first time in the automobile industry, the company said Wednesday."In the past two and a half years, the company has developed the air bag system mainly for panoramic sun roofs in sport-utility vehicles to minimize impacts in case of a rollover crash," a company spokesman said by phone.  (Yonhap)The advanced technology development will help Hyundai Mobis win air bag orders p

Oct. 18, 2017

Kia signs multi-year marketing partnership agreement with NBA

Kia Motors Corp. has signed a multi-year marketing partnership agreement with the US National Basketball Association, the company said Wednesday. The agreement with the NBA also applies to the Women's National Basketball Association and the NBA G League, the NBA's official minor league basketball organization, the Korean carmaker said.  (Yonhap)Kia, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., has continued to sponsor the major sports events as part of efforts to enhance its brand image in the world's mos

Oct. 18, 2017

Posco chief named vice chairman of World Steel

Posco Chairman Kwon Oh-joon was appointed the vice chairman of the World Steel Association, which represents the interests of 160 steelmakers around the world, at the organization’s annual board meeting held in Brussels, officials in Seoul said Wednesday.Kwon is the fourth Posco chairman named to serve the post. According to the organization’s protocol, Kwon will become the chairman next year and spend another year as the vice chairman in his third year. Posco Chairman Kwon Oh-joon (left) and Ni

Oct. 18, 2017

[Herald Interview] For green cars, UK seeks Korean talent

The United Kingdom has been enjoying rapid market growth and demand on British cars in recent years. But at the same time, the rise of future technology, particularly on green cars, has been a big concern. Based on its long history and heritage, the UK has been a major producer of internal combustion engines, making 2.5 million engines a year, which is higher than the 2 million vehicles that the country manufactures annually.But in fear of losing that proportion of petrol engines to electric bat

Oct. 18, 2017

Rolls-Royce unveils New Phantom, sees big growth potential in Korea

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd., the luxury car affiliate of BMW Group, said Tuesday that South Korea has a big growth potential given its growing appetite for "stylish and individual" cars. "Korea is a very important landmark destination for people in Asia. More and more people are coming here. That's why we have launched the eighth-generation Phantom in this market, the first among Asian countries," Rolls-Royce Motor's Asia Pacific Regional Director Paul Harris said in a press conference. Korea's

Oct. 17, 2017

Audi, Volkswagen owners sue ministry over recall approval

A group of customers who bought Audi and Volkswagen vehicles involved in a diesel emissions scandal has filed a complaint against South Korea’s Environment Ministry over its approval of the German carmakers’ recall plan.In August, the ministry approved the plan to carry out a software update on a total of 82,291 units of Volkswagen and Audi models equipped with the emissions-cheating 2.0-liter EA189 diesel engine. However, the planned software update is insufficient to curb emissions and is not

Oct. 17, 2017

Hyundai strengthens Genesis lineup to boost sales

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker by sales, said Monday it has strengthened its sub-brand Genesis lineup by adding a new model to help stimulate sales.  The standalone brand launched the latest version of the G80 sedan equipped with either a 3.3-liter, a 3.3-liter turbo-charged, or a 3.8-liter gasoline engine, the carmaker said in a statement.The newly added model to the G80 lineup is a 3.3-liter powered car that fields a sporty look. The refreshed Genesis comes with all the safe

Oct. 16, 2017

[Newsmaker] GM Korea set to mark 15 years amid rumors, deficit

GM Korea is set to celebrate its 15th anniversary of operations in South Korea on Monday. 　However, instead of being a festive occasion to mark the milestone, the US carmaker is laying low, as it is burdened by low sales and a growing deficit on the back of the slowing domestic market.　Coincidentally, its anniversary overlaps with the expiration of the South Korean government’s right to veto GM’s decision to leave the country, further fanning speculations on what the company’s next strategic mov

Oct. 12, 2017