Tesla’s official launch in Seoul imminent, unswayed by Korean celeb accident

Tesla Motors has reaffirmed its planned launch in Seoul, stressing that the recent case of a South Korean celebrity claiming serious defects in its car would not affect its plans, an industry source told The Korea Herald.An official closely related to the US electric vehicle maker said the launch is “imminent” and will be carried out within the beginning of the year. Tesla was to open its first flagship showroom at Starfield Hanam Mall in Gyeonggi Province by Nov. 28, 2016, but the plan had been

Jan. 8, 2017

[EYE] Customer service at heart of Mercedes-Benz’s success in Korea

It wasn’t an easy start. Soon after being stationed in Seoul in 2015, Dimitris Psillakis, the CEO and president of Mercedes-Benz Korea, took to the parliamentary stand and apologized for causing public concern over a case that involved an angry Korean driver smashing an S-class sedan with a golf club. Dimitris Psillakis, the CEO and president of Mercedes-Benz Korea (Mercedes-Benz Korea)Things could have gone worse, further damaging the reputation that the German carmaker had been building for ye

Jan. 6, 2017

GM Korea to release Bolt EV in April

GM Korea, the Korean unit of US auto firm General Motors, will launch its first fully electric vehicle Chevrolet Bolt in April, an industry source told The Korea Herald on Thursday, quoting a GM official in Seoul. GM Bolt EVThe US auto giant unveiled the Bolt EV in Korea for the first time in October, but had not disclosed an exact release date, saying the launch would take place within the first half of 2017. The electric compact car went on sale in December in the US.The Bolt EV's planned laun

Jan. 5, 2017

Tesla deliveries miss forecasts again on production delays

Tesla Motors Inc. reported fourth-quarter deliveries that fell short of its own forecasts, sending shares lower in after-market trading, as production delays continue to plague the carmaker led by Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk.The Palo Alto, California-based maker of electric cars and energy-storage products delivered about 22,200 vehicles in the final three months of last year, according to a statement Tuesday. The total trailed the automaker’s projection for 25,000 units and brought its fu

Jan. 4, 2017

Kia set to unveil new generation of Morning compact cars

Kia Motors is gearing up to unveil its latest Smart Compact All New Morning cars, the new third generation line of its Morning compact car series, the company said Wednesday.　The new line marks the first new edition of Kia’s compact series in six years. It will be available to the public starting Jan. 17. 　Emphasizing a sleek new design, color palate and smart internet technology features, the new Kia Morning series couples practicality with lifestyle and comfort, the company said. An exterior v

Jan. 4, 2017

Hyundai Motor Group delivers W25b donation

Hyundai Motor Group on Thursday held a ceremony to offer a donation of 25 billion won ($21 million) for people in need at the Community Chest of Korea building in Seoul, with the attendance of Hyundai Motor President Chung Jin-haeng and Community Chest of Korea Chairman Huh Dong-soo.With this year’s donation, accumulated funds contributed to CCK have reached 209 billion won over the past 14 years, the company said.The donations are used to provide traffic safety education for seniors and other a

Dec. 29, 2016

BMW to recall 2,100 cars in Korea over various problems

BMW Korea, the local importer and distributor of BMW cars, will recall a total of 2,100 cars sold here for various problems, including a defective oil filter casing that could allow coolant to mix with engine oil, damaging the engine, the transportation ministry said Thursday.The recall affects 1,135 units of four BMW models, including the 528i, produced between Sept. 1, 2011, and Jan. 31, 2012, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.In 965 cars of eight different BMW mo

Dec. 29, 2016

RVs account for 32% of Hyundai, Kia car sales in S. Korea

Recreational vehicles accounted for 32 percent of total car sales in South Korea by Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. for the first 11 months of this year, according to company data Sunday. Hyundai and Kia sold a total of 1,071,881 units at home during the January-November period. Of them, sales of RVs stood at 343,273 units.  Kia Motors Corp.'s Sorento SUV (Yonhap file photo)Sales of RVs by Hyundai and Kia at home jumped 67.6 percent to 378,114 units last year, from 225,664 u

Dec. 25, 2016

Hyundai Motor to face rise of Japanese rivals next year

The global auto market next year is expected to see the rise of Japanese carmakers, taking advantage of a cheaper yen and a transition to a new modular platform aimed at producing better cars at lower costs, a Hyundai Motor executive said Thursday.Park Hong-jae, vice president of Hyundai Motor’s global economic institute was referring to Toyota New Global Architecture, a platform sharing strategy designed to lower the production costs and enhance the quality of engine and power trains instead. T

Dec. 22, 2016

Renault’s Korean unit to lead SUV development

Renault Samsung Motors, the South Korean unit of French carmaker Renault S.A., will be fully in charge of the research and development of new sport utility vehicles for the Renault group, the company said Thursday.  Renault Samsung mid-sized SUV QM6 (Renault Samsung)The decision follows the success of the mid-size SUV QM6 which sold more than 10,000 units in Korea since its launch in September. QM6, also known as the Koleos overseas, was developed by the Renault Samsung Technical Center in Yongi

Dec. 22, 2016

Hyundai’s Xcient picked ‘Truck of the Year’ in China

Hyundai Motor’s heavy-duty truck Xcient won the “Truck of the Year 2017” award from a Chinese auto magazine, beating European and Japanese carmakers , the company said Thursday.Xcient is a two-engine luxury truck manufactured in a commercial vehicle plant in Ziyuan, Sichuan province. Hyundai was named the top in the award’s tractor category for the second consecutive year.“Xcient is the best big truck that is luxury and sophisticated outside and more silent inside than other competitors,” said C

Dec. 22, 2016

Hyundai Motor's US chief quits over missed sales target

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker, said Thursday that the chief of its US operations has resigned.The automaker did not provide reasons for Dave Zuchowski's resignation, only saying W. Gerald Flannery, an executive vice president of Hyundai Motor America, will be working as an interim chief until Zuchowski's successor is named."A search for Zuchowski's replacement will begin immediately," the company said in a press release."We appreciate Dave's decade of service to Hyundai, esp

Dec. 22, 2016

GM Korea, Ford Korea to recall more than 9,000 cars

More than 9,000 cars sold by GM Korea and Ford Sales & Service Korea will be recalled due to mechanical problems, the Transport Ministry said Wednesday. GM Korea, the South Korean unit of US carmaker General Motors, will recall 4,330 units of its minitruck Labo and 4,202 Damas minivans produced between Nov. 24, 2015 and Nov. 21, 2016, due to defective fuses that could interrupt fuel injection, causing the car to lose power, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. Free repa

Dec. 21, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hyundai Motor tests strength in autonomous cars

South Korean carmaker says it is ready to make autonomous cars commercially affordableHyundai Motor may not sound as adventurous as Elon Musk’s Tesla. But when it comes to the issue of making self-driving cars commercially affordable, the South Korean carmaker appears to have some strong points. Hyundai Motor demonstrated its technological developments in autonomous driving in Las Vegas last week, testing its strength in the mass market of future mobility. Instead of using 360-degree light detec

Dec. 20, 2016

Tivoli sales in Korea surpasses 100,000 mark

SsangYong Motor has sold its 100,000th Tivoli on home ground in the shortest span of time than any other brand it has launched, the company said Tuesday.A SsangYong sales executive (right) poses with the owner of the 100,000th Tivoli in the carmaker’s branch in Balsan Seoul, Monday. (SsangYong Motor)Tivoli, released in early 2015, is SsangYong’s first vehicle since Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group acquired the South Korean carmaker in 2011.The compact sports utility vehicle has been leading th

Dec. 20, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hyundai tests strength in autonomous cars

Hyundai Motor may not sound as adventurous as Elon Musk’s Tesla. But when it comes to the issue of making self-driving cars commercially affordable, the South Korean carmaker appears to have some strong points. Hyundai Motor demonstrated its technological developments in autonomous driving in Las Vegas last week, testing its strength in the mass market of future mobility. Instead of using 360-degree light detection and ranging sensors -- the 3-D laser scanning methods that are expensive but cent

Dec. 20, 2016

Hyundai Motor sees a boon in Europe

From news reportsHyundai Motor ranked first on a German automotive magazine’s annual quality satisfaction report for this year, the company said Sunday.South Korea’s largest carmaker grabbed the No. 1 spot with 2.14 points in terms of overall quality and customer satisfaction in the list released by Auto Bild.It is the third time for the company to secure to the top spot, following 2010 and 2011.The magazine has been releasing the quality report since 2001.Kia Motors, Hyundai’s sister company, c

Dec. 18, 2016