The Korea Herald

February discounts on Ssangyong

Ssangyong Motor Co. is offering a range of discounts on its vehicles until the end of the month.During the period, the company is providing a 2 million won ($1,790) discount for the luxury sedans Chairman W and Chairman H. For the Chairman H, the company is also offering a choice between a 2 million won DVD navigation system, 1.2 million won AM navigation system or an additional 700,000 won off. C

Feb. 6, 2011

Hyundai’s Russian car bags top honor

Hyundai Motor Co.’s Solaris subcompact received the top award for its segment in the Golden Klaxon Awards given by the Russian auto publication Klaxon, the carmaker announced Monday. Based on the Accent, the Solaris is Hyundai’s strategic model for the Russian market that includes Russia-specific features such as windshield and wiper anti-freeze and brake warning systems. SolarisIn addition to th

Feb. 6, 2011

Citroen to hit local market in 2011

Hanbul Motors Corp., the official importer of Peugeot vehicles, announced Monday that it signed an exclusive deal to import Citroen vehicles to Korea. With the launch scheduled for later in the year, the Citroen marque will return to the Korean market after a nine-year hiatus. Citroen vehicles were available in Korea during the 1990s and early 2000s, but imports were stopped in 2002.According to t

Feb. 6, 2011

Porsche Asia Pacific sales hit new record

Sales of the luxury sports car brand Porsche rose to a new high in 2010, Porsche Asia Pacific announced Tuesday.According to the company, Porsche sales in the region jumped 89 percent from the previous year to come in at 2,265 units.In the Korean market, Porsche saw sales increase by 75.4 percent over the period to come in at 705 units.Along with Korea, Taiwan and Singapore also contributed signif

Feb. 6, 2011

BMW 6 Series convertible to debut in Geneva

MUNICH (DPA) ― BMW is opening another chapter with open-top premium vehicles in launching the BMW 6 Series in Geneva with advanced chassis technology, more comfort, and numerous infotainment and safety features.The classic soft-top roof comes in customary “fin” design. According to BMW, the multi-layer roof has been optimized in terms of its acoustic properties and thermal insulation. The upright,

Feb. 6, 2011

Out on a limb or on to a winner?

GM Daewoo nears completion of overhaul, taking Chevrolet brandThe extensive overhaul of branding and sales network at GM Daewoo Auto and Technology Co. is nearing its final stages, with all related procedures due to be completed by the end of the first quarter.The Korean unit of General Motors announced last month that it will remove the badge of “Daewoo” from its company name and new domestic rel

Feb. 6, 2011

Volkswagen, Porsche, BMW feel pinch of tight supplies

Volkswagen AG, Porsche SE and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG are feeling the pinch of tight component supplies as parts-makers struggle to keep pace with resurgent vehicle demand.Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest automaker, will halt production at its main factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, on Jan. 31, because of a shortage of engines and other parts. BMW, the world’s biggest luxury-car maker, Porsche and Dai

Jan. 30, 2011

Hyundai introduces hybrid bus

Hyundai Motor Co. unveiled the Blue City compress natural gas-electric hybrid bus for the first time on Jan. 25.The vehicle is fitted with a 240-brake horsepower engine ― running on compressed natural gas ― and a 60 kilowatt or 80 brake horsepower electric motor powered by a 3.8 kilowatt hour lithium polymer battery pack. Blue CityAccording to the company the Blue City is able to travel 340 kilom

Jan. 30, 2011

Test drive Kia Morning for Valentine’s

Kia Motors Corp. is offering a chance to test drive the city car Morning for four days from Feb. 12 to 15.The event is open to anyone with a valid driver’s license over the age of 21, and applications can be submitted on the company’s website at www.kia.co.kr.The company will announce 50 successful applicants on the website from Feb. 10. Those selected for the event will also be given mobile coupo

Jan. 30, 2011

Renault Samsung offers discount on service

Renault Samsung Motors Co. is offering a 20 percent discount on mechanics fees and selected parts until Feb. 18.During the period, those replacing engine oils, batteries, anti-freeze fluid and brake pads will be able to receive services at the discount rates at the 448 directly-operated and associated service centers across the country. The offer is available for all Renault Samsung vehicles. For

Jan. 30, 2011

Ferrari likely to unveil station wagon

GENEVA (DPA) ― Ferrari is apparently planning to unveil at the Geneva Motor Show in March a Shooting Brake station wagon concept car based on the 612 Scaglietti, after spy shots of a car were revealed recently.The Italians could be testing the market for cars that could compete against the likes of the Porsche Panamera or other luxury sports utility vehicles, fitted with a V12 engine of some 540 h

Jan. 30, 2011

BMW dominates large bike market

Three of last year’s top five bestselling motorcycles with larger than 500 cubic centimeter engine displacement, excluding scooters, were BMW vehicles, BMW Korea announced Thursday.According to industry data, BMW’s S1000RR topped the list with 129 units sold last year. The BMW R1200GS came in third with 104 units, while the R1200RT came in fifth with 83 units. S1000RRThe second bestselling motorcy

Jan. 30, 2011

Volkswagen revives plan for fuel-thrifty car

BERLIN (DPA) ― Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, has brought plans for a fuel-thrifty car out of abeyance and will display an ultra-light hybrid car at the Qatar Motor Show at the end of this month, according to a German magazine.Volkswagen has spoken for years of making a car that can travel 100 kilometers on just 1 litre of fuel, but has never put one on sale. The magazine Wirtschaftswoche

Jan. 30, 2011

The tricycle that roared ― world’s first car weighed-in 125 years ago

STUTTGART, Germany (DPA) ― It is not the most handsome, the most valuable or the fastest of its kind but it does have a very special distinction.The frail-looking patent motor vehicle in the style of a tricycle which burst on the scene in Germany 125 years ago is regarded as the world’s very first automobile.Replicas of the pioneering three-wheeler submitted to the German Imperial Patent Office on

Jan. 30, 2011

The tricycle that roared ― world’s first car weighed-in 125 years ago

Tata looks at selling Nano in Asia

Tata Motors Ltd. may expand sales of the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, to countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as early as this year as demand for the egg-shaped vehicle rebounds in India.“We will go after these markets one after another,” Tata chief executive officer Carl-Peter Forster said Thursday at an auto-industry event in Bochum, Germany. Tata Motors Ltd. Nano vehicles ar

Jan. 30, 2011

Prices turn drivers away from hybrids

Despite the hype from carmakers and the government’s drive to popularize eco-friendly vehicles, South Korean motorists remain lukewarm toward hybrid electric vehicles.According to industry statistics, less than 8,700 hybrid electric vehicles were sold here in 2010, accounting for less than 0.56 percent of the overall market. Of the 11 hybrid electric models available in Korea, Hyundai Motor Co.’s

Jan. 24, 2011

Daimler launches new cargo truck

Daimler Truck Korea launched the cargo truck Actros on the local market Thursday. With the new truck, Mercedes-Benz is entering the country’s market for large cargo trucks, which accounts for about 60 percent of large truck sales, for the first time. ActrosThe truck is equipped with a V6 engine that puts out 476 brake horsepower, and has been designed for use in various functions including transpo

Jan. 23, 2011

Mitsubishi plans 8 eco-friendly cars by 2015-16

TOKYO (DPA) ― Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to launch eight models of electric cars and plug-in hybrids by the financial year that ends in March 2016, the Japanese carmaker said Thursday.The strategy includes the introduction of hybrid vehicles in the 2013-14 financial year, said Mitsubishi, which produces an electric hatchback but has yet to introduce hybrid models.It plans to also expand its lin

Jan. 23, 2011

Subaru launches 2011 Forester

Subaru Korea launched the 2011 Forester compact sport utility vehicle on the local market last Monday.In addition to the usual upgrades seen in model year changes, the new Forester is fitted with the third-generation Boxer engine. 2011 ForesterIn Subaru’s Boxer engine, the pistons are arranged and move horizontally, as opposed to the up and down movement of an inline engine, which according to the

Jan. 23, 2011

Lexus showroom opens in Ilsan

Chunwoo Motors, Toyota Korea’s Lexus dealer for the Yongsan area of Seoul, opened a Lexus showroom in Ilsan-gu, Goyang in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday.The company said that the new showroom will strengthen its sales network in northern Gyeonggi Province including Ilsan and Paju. The showroom is located on the ground floor of a three-story building that includes office space, and a service stall t

Jan. 23, 2011