Hyundai, KAIST work on self-driving sensors

Hyundai Motor Group’s automakers -- Hyundai Motor and Kia -- have joined forces with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology to establish a joint laboratory to develop the next generation of sensors for light detection and ranging, of lidar. According to their announcement Wednesday, the joint facility, the Hyundai Motor Group-KAIST Collaborative Research Laboratory for On-Chip Lidar based on silicon photonics, opened on the KAIST campus in Daejeon. The joint lab will focus

Feb. 21, 2024

[Photo News] Triple crown for Ioniq 5 N

The Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai Motor's high-performance electric vehicle, has won the Korea Automobile Journalists Association's 2024 Car of the Year award, the association announced Tuesday. On top of winning the highest overall award, the Ioniq 5 N also claimed the awards for EV of the Year and Performance of the Year as well. The Korean-made EV edged out the BMW New 5 Series, Kia EV9, Mercedes-Benz EQS and Genesis GV80 Coupe to take the top honor. KAJA comprises some 200 auto journalists

Feb. 20, 2024

[KH Explains] Will BYD redefine EV affordability in Korea?

Even those unfamiliar with the world's largest electric vehicle maker BYD Auto may have noticed their commercial electric buses that have been navigating city streets in Korea since 2017. Now the Chinese automaker, known for its exceptional affordability, is reportedly entering the broader consumer Korean EV market in the latter half of this year by introducing the Dolphin hatchback, Atto 3 compact crossover, and Seal midsize sedan electric vehicles. They are currently undergoing a performance e

Feb. 20, 2024

Hyundai Motor, Supernal in search of best talents for advanced air mobility

Hyundai Motor Group and its US-based advanced air mobility subsidiary Supernal are ramping up efforts to attract top urban air mobility talents as they aim to debut flying taxis in South Korea and the US in 2028. According to Hyundai Motor Group’s online recruitment notice on Monday, the company has opened up ten positions related to specific areas within the AAM division, including strategic investment, AAM system engineering, flight control, aircraft body assembly, software design and de

Feb. 19, 2024

[Photo News] Winner of 2024 Genesis Invitational

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun (right) and Japan’s nine-time PGA Tour winner Hideki Matsuyama hold the trophy celebrating the player’s victory at the 2024 Genesis Invitational of the US PGA Tour held last week at California's Riviera Country Club. In its eighth year as the event's title sponsor, the carmaker's Genesis brand provided a fleet of 220 vehicles during the four-day tournament. Matsuyama was awarded a $4 million prize along with the GV80 c

Feb. 19, 2024

Hyundai takes over Mobis' hydrogen fuel cell business

Hyundai Motor Company has acquired a hydrogen fuel cell business from the group's affiliate and auto parts supplier Hyundai Mobis at 217 billion won ($163 million) to consolidate the group's hydrogen energy efforts. The agreement, finalized on Friday, includes a complete transfer of assets, personnel, and operations related to Hyundai Mobis' domestic hydrogen fuel cell activities to Hyundai Motor Company. Hyundai Motor Group is streamlining its operations by focusing its hydrogen

Feb. 16, 2024

LS Cable, Germany’s VAC team up for EV magnets

LS Cable & System, through its subsidiary LS Eco Advanced Materials, has partnered with European magnet manufacturer Vacuumschmelze to create a joint venture aimed at making special magnets needed for electric vehicles. Announced on Wednesday, this partnership will start producing 1,000 tons of neodymium permanent magnets annually by 2027, enough for half a million electric cars. Neodymium permanent magnets are crucial for the motors that power electric cars, making this venture particularly

Feb. 16, 2024

Hyundai Motor to cut foreign chip reliance with local push

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group has initiated a project aimed at significantly boosting the local production and procurement of automotive semiconductors from early this year, according to industry sources on Friday. Challenges stemming from the auto group's heavy reliance on international suppliers for its semiconductor needs, such as supply chain vulnerabilities exposed during the global pandemic, are expected to be resolved through the initiative. Over 90 percent of Hyundai's

Feb. 16, 2024

[KH Explains] Will Korea's new EV subsidies undercut Tesla's edge?

The South Korean government is carrying out a strategy to boost the price competitiveness of electric vehicles from domestic automakers with a revised EV subsidy policy for this year. It is seen as a response to aggressive pricing strategies of Chinese automakers and models equipped with Chinese batteries, such as the Tesla Model Y, which utilizes cost-efficient lithium iron phosphate batteries from China's CATL. These models are becoming increasingly pervasive due to their affordability. Chines

Feb. 15, 2024

Hyundai Motor fast-tracks US EV plant to 2024

Hyundai Motor Group has once again moved up the launch of its new US plant solely dedicated to producing electric vehicles to October this year, three months ahead of its current schedule, to enhance its readiness to toughened subsidy rules. "We're pulling ahead because everybody knows how important it is because so far we don't qualify for federal tax credits," Hyundai Motor America CEO Jose Munoz said during an interview with Automotive News, an American automotive industry media ou

Feb. 14, 2024

[Photo News] Korean BMW navigation

BMW Group Korea said Wednesday that it will begin loading the Korean BMW navigation system based on the country's leading mobility platform Tmap, starting with the BMW X1 and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer models this month. The automaker said the newly developed navigation system offers advanced convenience, as it receives the latest traffic and map information in real time through online streaming. The Korea-dedicated navigation will be equipped on the BMW New X2 and new Mini models, which ar

Feb. 14, 2024

Renault Korea hires new lead for smart vehicle tech

Renault Korea Motors, the South Korean unit of French automotive giant Renault Group, said Tuesday it has appointed Regis Brignon, a software and electrical systems specialist, to lead the development of its software-defined vehicles, or next-generation smart vehicles, for the Korean market. Starting in February as the director of systems engineering operations at Renault Technology Korea, he will lead teams in developing next-generation technologies for future Renault models made in Korea, inc

Feb. 13, 2024

Hyundai Motor nears 100m sales milestone

Hyundai Motor Group is highly likely to surpass the 100-million-vehicle sales mark this year, 56 years after it started selling cars in Korea in 1968. According to the carmaker on Monday, it has sold close to 97 million vehicles around the world as of last year. Of these, about 24 million were sold in Korea's domestic market, accounting for approximately 25 percent of total sales, while the remaining 73 million, or 75 percent, were sold internationally. To achieve the 100 million milestone,

Feb. 12, 2024

EVs take up 9.3 percent of newly purchased cars in 2023

Electric cars accounted for 9.3 percent of newly purchased cars in South Korea last year, data showed Monday, hovering above that of other major counterparts, including the United States and Japan. The electric vehicles (EVs) took up 162,507 of 1.74 million cars sold in South Korea in 2023, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The ratio marked a significant rise from just 1.9 percent tallied in 2019. The figure, however, fell slightly from 9.7 per

Feb. 12, 2024

Rolls-Royce unveils 2024 Year of the Dragon exclusive editions

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is commemorating the year 2024 ahead of the Lunar New Year with limited Year of the Dragon Bespoke Commissions, featuring four distinctively designed vehicles, exactly 12 years after its first dragon-themed Phantom in 2012, which sold out in China within two months of release. Introduced last Friday, the 2024 exclusive collection includes three extended versions of the Phantom and one Cullinan sport utility vehicle, each adorned with design elements inspired by the dragon,

Feb. 10, 2024

US closes engine fire probe into Hyundai, Kia vehicles

The US auto safety authorities have closed a probe into engine fire risks on Hyundai Motor and Kia vehicles as the South Korean automakers’ recalls have lowered fire rates, according to Reuters Thursday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the majority of the recalled Hyundai and Kia cars reported lower fire accidents after they underwent the necessary fixes whereas those that had not been repaired showed relatively high fire rates. The US safety authorities first began

Feb. 8, 2024

GM chair meets battery partners in 1st Seoul visit

General Motors CEO Mary Barra visited South Korea to meet the automaker’s Korean battery manufacturers -- LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI -- to strengthen their partnerships further and discuss the global electric vehicle transition amid slowing EV growth. According to industry sources, the GM chair on Wednesday met with LG Energy Solution CEO Kim Dong-myung and Samsung SDI CEO Choi Yoon-ho in Seoul. Barra was spotted at Gimpo International Airport on Tuesday evening. The visit marked

Feb. 7, 2024

Moody's ups ratings of Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis to 'A3'

Moody's Investors Service has upgraded the credit ratings of Hyundai Motor, Kia and Hyundai Mobis to "A3" from "Baa1" on their improved competitiveness, their parent company said Tuesday. It marks the first time the three companies have received A ratings from the global credit appraiser, according to Hyundai Motor Group. Moody's also changed their outlooks from "stable" to "positive," heralding a possible ratings upgrade down the road. "A

Feb. 6, 2024

Hyundai Motor India to go public this year: reports

Hyundai Motor India, South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group’s local subsidiary, is planning to float its shares in an initial public offering on the Indian stock market before the end of this year, according to reports Monday. Citing unnamed sources, The Economic Times reported that a group of global investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Citi, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Bank of America, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and UBS came to Seoul last week to present their IPO proposals to Hyundai

Feb. 5, 2024

LS targets N. America with Mexican EV parts plant

LS Electric said Monday that its electric vehicle parts subsidiary LS e-Mobility Solutions has recently completed the construction of an EV parts manufacturing plant in Durango, Mexico to target the North American electric vehicle market. The Durango plant, which covers an area of 35,000 square meters, is capable of producing 5 million EV relays and 4 million battery disconnect units per year. As a typical EV can have 20 relays or more, the plant has the capacity to deliver EV relays for up to 2

Feb. 5, 2024