Gilles Vidal guides Renault's balanced design shift

Renault Group has been reshaping its brand with a strong emphasis on the balanced design of analog and digital elements, led by the group’s Design Vice President Gilles Vidal, a renowned figure in automotive design. Renault's design transformation began in 2021 with the introduction of its "Nouvelle Vague" brand strategy, meaning “new wave” in French, aiming to craft the next generation of stylish, modern vehicles for Renault. This effort bore fruit when the Rena

May 27, 2024

[KH Explains] US crackdown on Chinese connected vehicles unsettles Korea

The South Korean government and automotive industry are on high alert as the US prepares to enforce regulations on Chinese-made connected vehicles this fall, citing national security concerns about potential data leaks involving American consumers. While the focus seems to be on complete vehicles, the regulations could indirectly affect Chinese-made components if they are deemed integral to the data collection and transmission processes that raise security concerns. The broad scope of the term &

May 26, 2024

[From the Scene] Porsche’s Leipzig plant shines with people-first orientation

LEIPZIG, Germany -- Bright rays of sunlight shone through the roof Thursday morning at the assembly building of Porsche’s manufacturing plant in Leipzig, Germany, enlivening the atmosphere of the busy production site. The German sports carmaker’s Leipzig plant shattered the traditional image of auto factories being rather grey and stifling as The Korea Herald visited the site as a part of this year’s International Transport Forum held at the Congress Center Leipzig from Wednesd

May 26, 2024

S. Korea's innovative Traffic Culture Index spotlighted at OECD transport ministers' gathering

In terms of traffic safety, South Korea has seen a remarkable improvement over the past decade across various metrics. According to the International Transport Forum, the country has seen a 49.2 percent decrease in road deaths between 2012 and 2022. The number of passenger car occupants killed in road crashes dropped by 63.8 percent, while that of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents fell by 54 percent. Industry experts attribute such improvements to an overall enhancement of public awarene

May 24, 2024

Kia EV3 aims for mass appeal with best-in-class range, pricing

Kia unveiled its latest electric vehicle, the EV3, a subcompact electric sport utility vehicle designed to attract mainstream consumers and drive mass adoption of EVs, during an online media conference Thursday. Made for nimble city driving, the EV3 serves as the entry-level model in Kia’s EV lineup that boasts a range of up to 600 km according to the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure, or WLTP, marking it as best-in-class for its size. It is equipped with a front-wheel-driv

May 23, 2024

[From the Scene] Global transport leaders call for greener moves

LEIPZIG, Germany -- Global transport leaders have called for the importance of bolstering environmentally friendly transportation during these times of climate, health and geopolitical crisis at this year’s International Transport Forum’s annual summit in Leipzig, Germany. “The world is facing what can be described as a polycrisis, in other words, a situation with multiple simultaneous disruptions that interact and can quickly spill over from one area to another,” said IT

May 23, 2024

Battery makers' output slows on waning EV demand

An increasing share of manufacturing capacity is not being used in Korea’s battery industry due to waning demand in the electric vehicle market. But manufacturers remain optimistic about a recovery later this year as inventory adjustments end and new EV models are launched. Official data released this week reveal that LG Energy Solution’s factory capacity utilization rate fell to 57.4 percent in the first quarter, a steep decline from 77.7 percent during the same period last year. Si

May 22, 2024

[Photo News] Hyundai's startup showcase in Paris

Hyundai Motor Group's startup incubator ZER01NE is participating in the 2024 Viva Technology exhibition at the Paris Expo de Versailles through May 25. ZER01NE's booth, themed "Seamless Post Human City," features a stark monochromatic palette accented by exhibits from startup partners such as Mobinn, an autonomous delivery solutions provider; Biomyc, a creator of sustainable materials from mycelium; and Jedlix, an electricity trading platform. Architecting the exhibit is IVAA

May 22, 2024

Hyundai eyes first hydrogen supercar by 2026

Hyundai Motor Group is reportedly set to produce a hydrogen-powered supercar with a whopping 775 horsepower as early as 2026, according to news reports Tuesday. If the plan materializes, the car will be the first of its kind. Reports said the new car will be based on the N Vision 74 concept car that was unveiled as a hydrogen hybrid model two years ago. The car codenamed the N74 is expected to be a hydrogen fuel cell-only supercar. Details of the car are said to have already been shared with Hyu

May 21, 2024

After 6-year hiatus, Kia to return to Paris Motor Show in Europe push

Kia will make a comeback at the Paris Motor Show this October after a six-year hiatus, seeking a bigger footing in Europe's competitive electric vehicle market. Kia France published a LinkedIn post on Sunday revealing that Kia will attend the 2024 Paris Motor Show, starting on Oct. 14 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. “Let's celebrate Kia's big return to the Paris Motor Show this fall. Novelty, innovation, and mobility will be the key themes of this event. Kia will show

May 20, 2024

Hyundai-Kia marks 40 years of partnerships with over 100 suppliers: report

There are more than 100 suppliers that have been working with Hyundai Motor Group for more than 40 years, the auto giant’s recent shared growth report found Sunday. As of the end of last year, Hyundai and Kia, the two Hyundai brands, have been doing business with 105 suppliers for over four decades, which compared to 95 suppliers in 2022. The figures represent primary parts suppliers and exclude the group’s parts affiliates such as Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Wia. Of them, 36 percent w

May 19, 2024

Korean firms target EV charging market in US

Lotte and SK both made announcements of progress in their entries to the US EV charging market Thursday, joining LG as Korean conglomerates competing in the burgeoning sector. Lotte Innovate announced Thursday that it had recently established EVSIS America, a US unit of its EV charging subsidiary and secured about 3,300 square meters of land in California to build an EV charger factory. Lotte Innovate plans to complete preparations for the California plant’s production lines before the end

May 17, 2024

[KH Explains] Hyundai-backed Motional’s struggles deepen as Tesla eyes August robotaxi debut

Motional, Hyundai Motor Group’s robotaxi service joint venture in the United States, has hit a rough patch recently, facing major investor pullouts, a delayed service launch and a drastic 40 percent workforce reduction. This turbulence comes as Elon Musk recently announced Tesla’s plans to launch its robotaxi service in August, which experts say has a simpler AI architecture that is less costly to train and run than rivals. Experts say they still expect industry-wide investments in f

May 16, 2024

Korea eyes leadership in advanced air mobility standardization

South Korea took the initiative to lead standardization in the global advanced air mobility sector as it launched the Global Association for Advanced Air Mobility, or G3AM, in Seoul on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the G3AM is the world’s first global association for AAM standardization. A total of 67 companies have joined the association as members, including Korean firms such as Korean Air, Hanwha Systems, Hyundai Motor, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, the US&rsqu

May 14, 2024

Kia rolls out new EV6 with longer range but no price hike

Kia has officially launched an upgraded version of the EV6 in the Korean market, with sales starting Tuesday and deliveries expected by June. "The new EV6 will launch internationally within this year," a Hyundai Motor Group official told the Korea Herald. This latest update, the first in about three years since August 2021, increases the maximum driving range to 494 km per charge, according to the Korean Ministry of Environment certification. This represents a 19 km improvement over t

May 14, 2024

[KH Explains] Hyundai Motor’s plan for new landmark keeps hitting bumps

Hyundai Motor Group’s plan to build a new headquarters called Global Business Center, or GBC, as a landmark in southern Seoul still faces bumps after having already undergone decade-long obstacles as it continues struggling with the Soul Metropolitan Government to find common ground on height. The dispute was recently reignited when it was reported that the Seoul Metropolitan Government intended to reject Hyundai Motor’s new plan to build two 55-floor main buildings instead of the ea

May 13, 2024

Motional delays self-driving service launch to 2026 following Hyundai investment

Hyundai Motor Group's joint venture Motional announced staff reductions and a two-year delay to its driverless taxi service plans last week, following the group's 1.29 trillion won ($941 million) injection into the startup earlier this month, reflecting growing industry pessimism about the viability of self-driving cars. Hyundai established Motional with Aptiv in the US in 2020 and launched its Ioniq 5-based robo-taxi service with Uber and Lyft last year. However, the rollout of the second-

May 12, 2024

Hyundai Mobis to set up W90b plant for EV parts

Hyundai Mobis, the parts and service arm under Hyundai Motor Group, will construct a dedicated electric vehicle module plant in Ulsan, South Korea, with an investment of approximately 90 billion won ($65 million) and completion expected in late 2025. The company signed an investment memorandum of understanding with the Ulsan Metropolitan City on Thursday, with Ulsan Mayor Kim Du-gyeom and Hyundai Mobis CEO Lee Gyu-suk attending the signing ceremony. Located near Hyundai Motor Group's upcomi

May 9, 2024

[Photo News] Porsche in Busan

Porsche Korea is participating in Art Busan 2024 as an official partner and hosting 'Salon de Panamera' at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center through Sunday, the German automaker's local office said Thursday. Inspired by Europe's salon culture, the exhibition will showcase Porsche’s brand philosophy of continuous innovation integrated with the brand's unique design by presenting the new Panamera 4, the automaker's latest powerful sporting luxury sedan,

May 9, 2024

Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve

South Korea's battery industry has secured a two-year reprieve from the US Inflation Reduction Act restrictions on electric vehicle batteries containing Chinese graphite, giving it time to diversify its supply chain while the Korean government has committed 9.7 trillion won ($7.1 billion) in policy financing to support this transition. Following negotiations and advocacy by the Korean government and related industries, the US government on Friday agreed to suspend specific provisions of the

May 8, 2024