The G90 luxury sedan by Genesis Motors was the top of its class in the latest US vehicle quality awards, the company said Friday. The flagship vehicle of the stand-alone sub-brand of South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. was No. 1 in the luxury segment for the 2017 Total Quality Impact report released this week by US automobile market survey firm Strategic Vision, the carmaker said. The G90, also called the EQ900 in South Korea, scored 761 out of 1,000 points in terms of design, driving perfor

July 21, 2017

Kia Motors Corp. on Thursday domestically launched a face-lifted Sorento crossover to maintain its edge in the midsize SUV market. The upgraded Sorento incorporates a new grille and front and rear graphics and LED accents that make the car sharper. It can be equipped with a choice of 2.0-liter turbo gasoline, a 2.2 diesel or 2.0 diesel engine with buyers given the option of an eight-speed automatic transmission, the first of its kind for a locally produced midsize SUV, the company said in a stat

July 20, 2017

Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin will recall 24 vehicles in South Korea for faulty parts, the transport ministry said Thursday. This is the latest in a series of recall orders issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to both domestic and foreign carmakers. The carmakers plan to recall two different models totaling 24 units. The models include Mercedes-Benz's AMG E63 4MATIC high-performance car and Aston Martin's DB11 super car, the ministry said in a statement.  (Yonhap)The pro

July 20, 2017

HWASEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- The N project by Hyundai Motor does not ring a bell at first glance, despite its sleek slogan of high-performance driving. But when taking a ride in the passenger seat for a test drive of the Racing Midship, the flagship symbol of the project, one begins to understand what South Korea’s largest automaker is setting out to achieve.Dubbed N project’s “rolling test-lab,” the Veloster-based RM16 is the fastest car by the South Korean carmaker to date, as it surpasses 1

July 19, 2017

HWASEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- Having Genesis as an independent brand from Hyundai Motor was intended to maximize its image. But when it comes to the N project, the carmaker’s drive to produce high performance vehicles on a commercial level, Hyundai seems to be more restrained.“As for whether Hyundai will launch a separate division or brand for high performance vehicles like Mercedes-Benz’s AMG remains to be seen,” said Im Se-bin, director of the High Performance Vehicle Development Group at Hyu

July 19, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker by sales, will start operation of its fifth assembly plant in China next month to better meet growing local demand for small vehicles, the company said Wednesday. Beijing Hyundai Motor Co., a 50:50 joint venture set up by Hyundai Motor and Beijing Automotive Group Co., has invested a combined $1 billion to build the 300,000-unit-a-year plant in Chongqing, Southwest China, the carmaker said in a statement. This year, Hyundai plans to produce 30,00

July 19, 2017

Amid German prosecutors’ investigation into defeat devices installed in Mercedes-Benz diesel cars, the Environment Ministry here said Tuesday that some 110,000 units powered by the engines in question were sold in Korea. The ministry started examining 110,000 units across 47 models running on engines codenamed OM642 and OM651, following a report by German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung that said the number of concerned Mercedes-Benz cars totaled over a million units worldwide last week.The Germa

July 18, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co. on Tuesday added the Sonata plug-in hybrid to its lineup in a move to absorb growing demand for environment friendly vehicles. As the government moves to implement stricter regulations against fine dust-emitting vehicles centered generally around diesel cars, automakers are making an effort to highlight their "green" credentials in their lineups. Hyundai Motor`s Sonata New Rise plug-in hybrid model (Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor) (Yonhap)The Sonata New Rise plug-in hybrid wen

July 18, 2017

Unionized workers at Kia Motors Corp. will vote on whether to stage a walkout as they press for more wages and benefits, the company's union said Monday. The vote scheduled from Monday through Tuesday comes as Kia's wage talks with the management recently broke up and it struggles with slowing sales in major markets such as China and the United States.  (Yonhap)Members of Kia's 30,000-strong union will cast their votes by 1 p.m. Tuesday, with the results to be made available at around 6 p.m. The

July 17, 2017

Logo of Volkswagen (Volkswagen Korea)Volkswagen Korea, the domestic distributor of the German brand, is accelerating efforts to regain consumer trust by offering improved services, the company said Monday. “Rebuilding customer trust is at the top of Volkswagen Korea’s agenda. Together with dealers we are continuing various measures to move customers to trust us again,” said Volkswagen Korea.In preparation for when it resumes sales here, Volkswagen Korea has opened four new service centers across

July 17, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co. said Monday it will strengthen door-to-door charging services for its Ioniq electric vehicles, a move to promote consumer acceptance of electric vehicles.Hyundai Motor has recently increased the number of service vehicles which offer door-to-door charging services to 60 from 10 across the country. It formerly operated 10 such vehicles in Seoul and Jeju Island, the company said in a statement. In this photo taken on July 17, 2017, Hyundai Motor employees stand before the carmake

July 17, 2017

SsangYong Motor Co. said Monday it will launch the upgraded Tivoli SUV this week to compete with rivals in the heavily contested subcompact crossover markets. The carmaker's facelifted Tivoli subcompact, equipped with a 1.6-liter gasoline or diesel engine, will go on sale in the domestic market Thursday, the company said in a statement. The move is aimed at maintaining its dominant market share in the rapidly growing subcompact SUV market. Currently, five out of 10 subcompact SUVs being sold in

July 17, 2017

Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor on Friday voted to stage a walkout as they press for more wages and benefits, the union said Friday.Hyundai's 50,274-member union cast their votes as wage negotiations with the management are underway.In a vote held from Thursday through Friday, 33,145 members, or 65.93 percent, of the union agreed to go on strike if the wage talks break down, a union spokesman said over the phone. "Union leaders will meet on Tuesday to decide on the guidelines for union member

July 14, 2017

South Korea's environment ministry has launched a probe into some imported Mercedes-Benz vehicles, an official said Friday, amid reports about an emissions fraud scandal involving German luxury automaker Daimler."We have found that there are some 40 kinds of imported Mercedes-Benz vehicles suspected of carrying the emissions manipulation device," the official said on condition of anonymity."We are currently investigating how many cars in question have been sold in Korea." (Yonhap)German and othe

July 14, 2017

The Korean government is moving to make autonomous safety features mandatory in commercial vehicles, following a series of deadly accidents with large buses.President Moon Jae-in proposed mandating the installment of the Forward Collision Warning System in buses and large trucks during a Cabinet meeting earlier this week.Moon’s comments came after a recent bus accident allegedly caused by the bus driver dozing off led to two deaths and 16 injured. (123rf)To tackle the issue of accidents cause by

July 13, 2017

Adding the final touch to its full sport utility vehicle lineup, Kia Motors on Thursday rolled out its new compact SUV Stonic, which Korea’s second-largest automaker hopes will revive lagging sales.Kia’s SUV lineup now ranges from the full-size Mohave and mid-size Sorento, to the Sportage, hybrid Niro and compact Stonic. With the Stonic, Kia Motors aims to target consumers in their 20s and 30s, who prioritize price, fuel economy and design, the company said. Starting Thursday, Kia Motors’ subcom

July 13, 2017

Blamed for air pollution and speculation of price hikes down the road has dampened demand for diesel-powered vehicles to a four-year low in the first half of this year, industry data showed Thursday.The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association said among new cars registered in January to May this year, 46.3 percent were diesel-driven vehicles. This is the lowest since 43.5 percent in 2013. The proportion of diesel engine cars had reached as high as 52.5 percent in 2015, before falling to 47.6

July 13, 2017

(Yonhap)Mercedes-Benz Korea, the local unit of the German luxury carmaker, ranked the No. 1 foreign automaker here in the first half of this year on the back of a wider range of models being offered, industry experts said Wednesday.A total of 37,723 Mercedes-Benz vehicles were sold between January and June this year, up 13,000 units compared to the same period last year, according to data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.“The huge popularity of the new E Cl

July 12, 2017

Hyundai Mobis, South Korea’s biggest auto parts supplier, hired Gregory Baratoff, head of camera sensor development at Continental, as the vice president of the company’s driving assistant system development earlier this month to step up its competitiveness in autonomous driving, the company said Wednesday. (Hyundai Mobis)The recruitment comes as Hyundai Mobis recently accelerated efforts in securing industry-leading self-driving and eco-friendly vehicle technologies.“Hyundai Mobis will take the

July 12, 2017