Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW brand outsold Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz last month, expanding its lead as the top-selling luxury auto brand in the U.S. so far this year.BMW’s U.S. sales, helped by deliveries of the new 5 Series sedan and sport-utility vehicles, rose 13 percent last month to 21,637 compared with a year earlier, the Munich-based automaker said yesterday in a statement.Mercedes sa

July 3, 2011

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors emerged as one the world’s top five automakers in global sales last year, selling more than 5 million vehicles.About a decade ago, the two companies under the wing of Hyundai Motor Group ranked 11th worldwide in total sales volume.Climbing six notches in less than 10 years was not a simple accomplishment, as it required stepping over global players includ

June 29, 2011

Mercedes-Benz Korea, the local unit of the luxury car division of Daimler AG, has introduced the second-generation of its passenger vehicle, the CLS 63 AMG, in Korea.The new CLS 63 AMG comes with a new V8 5.5-liter biturbo engine that is smaller than the 6.2-liter engine in the previous version, but generates more horsepower and torque while consuming less gasoline. Mercedes-BenzThe new engine pro

June 26, 2011

Renault Samsung Motors on Sunday unveiled its updated QM5 crossover utility vehicle that aims to enhance the carmaker’s image as a quality manufacturer of upper-end cars.The new QM5 is a makeover of the existing vehicle with streamlined exterior lines, rearranged headlamps and a radiator grille that gives it a more “urban” style that could be more attractive to Korean consumers.The company, which

June 26, 2011

Portion of small vehicles continues to drop in American sales over a decadeHyundai Motor had been regarded as a minor player in the United States and had focused on finding a niche. Its main target was the small-sized vehicle market.Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors saw small vehicles account for more than half in their North American sales in 2001.But the portion of small cars in Hyundai

June 26, 2011

In road show, Italy focuses on Korean auto parts makersHyundai Motor Group held a fair in Italy to give Korean auto parts manufacturers the opportunity to make inroads into the southern European market.The automotive group said Thursday that it held a “Fiat Tech Fair,” a road show for auto components, at Fiat Group Automobiles in Turin, Italy. Hyundai Mobis, a unit of Hyundai Motor Group, hosted t

June 23, 2011

Kia’s MorningAuto Build, the world’s most circulated car magazine from Germany, selected Kia’s Morning as the best compact car in the world, The Hyundai Kia Automotive Group said.In a comparative analysis of the world’s compact cars, the magazine selected Kia’s latest version of Morning city car as the best model for driving comfort, followed by Hyundai’s i10.Other candidate models included Fiat P

June 19, 2011

GM Chevrolet cars featured on “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”GM Korea Co. is offering customers an opportunity to apply to watch a pre-screening of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” in advance of its opening to the Korean public, the company said. The third installment of Michael Bay’s Hollywood blockbuster will be available for pre-screening by Monday June 20 on Chevrolet’s event website at www.e

June 19, 2011

Marketing chief says new SM7 beats rivals, firm recovering from Japan quake impactThe revamped SM7, to be released within three months, will be successful in the country’s upper largesized sedan market with its improved driving comfort, Frederic Artaud, marketing chief at Renault Samsung, predicted Sunday. “As showcased and proved at the Seoul Motor Show 2011, Renault Samsung is highly confident o

June 19, 2011

Small vehicles with low engine displacement are expected to account for 50 percent of the total sales of import vehicles in South Korea as early as the third quarter.The ratio of cars with an engine capacity of less than 2.0 liters to the total number of cars sold came to 45.2 percent in May.They sold 3,969 small-sized cars ― at low and medium priced ― out of the total 8,777 units last month, acco

June 12, 2011

INGOLSTADT, Germany (DPA) ― Audi is launching the next generation A6 Avant with a choice of six engines, lightweight components and such features as a rear hatch opening in response to a sensor signal.Fuel consumption has been reduced by as much as 18 percent compared with the previous model, according to Audi. Topping the engine lineup is the new 3.0 TDI with twin-turbo technology and 230kW/313 h

June 5, 2011

MUNICH (DPA) ― BMW is paying tribute to a 1930s sports car with an exciting new show car called the BMW 328 Hommage which is fitted with all that modern technology has on offer and design cues reminiscent of the classic built 75 years ago.“With the BMW 328 Hommage, we wish to pay homage to the passion and inventiveness of the fathers of the BMW 328”, said Karl Baeumer,CEO of BMW Group Classic, at

June 5, 2011