No. of eco-friendly vehicles in Korea hit 1.5 million

South Korea saw its number of eco-friendly vehicles exceed 1.5 million in October, data showed Sunday. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, a total of 1,515,000 units of eco-friendly vehicles, including full electric vehicles and hybrids, were registered by the end of October -- a 38.3 percent surge on-year. This comes just one year and three months after the country saw the number of eco-friendly vehicles exceed 1 million in July 2021. The ministry’s data showe

Nov. 20, 2022

Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 6 debuts in US

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday its flagship electric vehicle brand Ioniq’s latest model Ioniq 6 was unveiled in the United States at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show, and it is targeting a North American launch in the first half of next year. The Ioniq 6 was launched in July in South Korea, recording the automaker’s highest first-day preorder sales figure in its history with 37,446. Hyundai Motor said with the Ioniq 6 it would promote the company’s electrification push in the No

Nov. 18, 2022

[Photo News] Genesis X Convertible Unveiled

Hyundai Motor Group unveiled the Genesis X convertible, a concept for the luxury brand's first full-electric convertible car, in Malibu, California, Wednesday, prior to the LA Auto show that kicks off Friday.

Nov. 16, 2022

Volkswagen debuts new Golf GTI in Seoul

Volkswagen Korea debuted the new Golf GTI, the eighth-generation of the German carmaker’s gasoline-powered hot hatch, in Seoul on Tuesday before its official launch next month. Since its debut in 1976, the Golf GTI has been recognized as a reasonably priced sports car that popularizes the new car segment “hot hatch.” The upcoming Golf GTI is equipped with the EA888 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine with a maximum horsepower of 245 and a maximum torque of

Nov. 16, 2022

US delays decision on Korean Air-Asiana merger

South Korea’s largest air carrier Korean Air’s buyout of Asiana Airlines faced yet another hurdle, as the US antitrust regulator decided to conduct a more thorough investigation before granting approval of the merger. The US Federal Trade Commission was expected to announce its decision this week, but informed Korean Air on Wednesday it would need more time for a thorough evaluation, according to the Koran air carrier. In March, the US antitrust watchdog evaluated that when merged

Nov. 16, 2022

Hyundai Motor to build air mobility ecosystem in Indonesia’s new capital

Hyundai Motor Group on Monday unveiled a new ambitious plan to build an ecosystem for advanced air mobility (AAM), including flying cars and related infrastructure, in Indonesia’s new capital city of Nusantara that is currently under construction. The Korean auto giant signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nusantara National Capital Authority for the new project on the sidelines of the B-20 Summit Indonesia 2022, which is taking place in Bali this week. Earlier this year, the Ind

Nov. 14, 2022

Hyundai Grandeur gets first revamp after 6 years

Hyundai Motor on Monday launched the all-new Grandeur, the seventh-generation fully changed model of its top-selling midsize sedan, a comeback after six years with global sales set to begin in the second quarter next year. Since its debut in 1986, the Grandeur has been considered a luxury sedan here, widely chosen as the executive ride for local chaebol companies. The car's former cachet may have been overshadowed by its younger sibling Genesis' bigger presence in recent years. But the

Nov. 14, 2022

Porsche aims high to produce ‘Porsche-typical’ EVs

FRANCIACORTA, Italy -- When Porsche unveiled its first-ever all-electric model Taycan in 2019, not many expected it to become one of the brand’s bestselling models, behind only the Macan and Cayenne SUVs. Now, as the first premium automotive manufacturer in the world to produce various plug-in hybrid models, the German sports car maker is betting big on producing powerful fully electric vehicles to offer driving dynamics and a sports car performance -- while sustainable at the same time --

Nov. 14, 2022

Hyundai Motor chief urges bold action on climate change, energy poverty at B-20

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun on Sunday urged global action to tackle climate change and energy poverty at the 2022 Business 20 summit of business groups and entrepreneurs that precedes the Group of 20 summit held on the Indonesia island of Bali from Tuesday. The B-20 is an official G-20 dialogue forum formed to facilitate a delivery of policy recommendations to the leaders to G20. This year’ s G-20 will be held under the theme of “Advancing Innovative, Inclusive

Nov. 13, 2022

[Herald Interview] GM Korea to bolster safety management in time of e-mobility

As the automobile industry transitions towards electrification, GM Korea is establishing new safety measures to address potential risks associated with new technologies in manufacturing electric vehicles. Wayne O’Brien, chief safety officer at GM Korea, told The Korea Herald last week that electrification program does bring different safety exposures, particularly in the form of energy, and that they are in the process of developing robust systems to help employees understand all the criti

Nov. 13, 2022

SsangYong Motor graduates from court-led debt rescheduling program

SsangYong Motor Co. said Friday it has graduated from the court-led debt rescheduling program nineteen months after it was placed under court receivership amid the COVID-19 pandemic. SsangYong Motor applied for court receivership on April 15, 2021, after its Indian parent Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. failed to attract an investor due to its worsening financial status amid the pandemic. The Seoul Bankruptcy Court approved SsangYong's debt payment plans in August after the court picked a loca

Nov. 11, 2022

Auto exports jump 28% in October on solid demand for eco-friendly cars

South Korea's car exports jumped 28.5 percent on-year last month on brisk demand for eco-friendly cars, data showed Friday. The value of outbound shipments of automobiles came to $4.92 billion last month, the largest ever for any October, according to the data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In terms of volume, a total of 208,544 vehicles were sold last month, up 30.2 percent from the previous year, the data showed. By region, exports to North America jumped 60.2 percent to $2.3

Nov. 11, 2022

[Photo News] Flying car concept

A concept model of Hyundai Motor's personal air vehicle S-A1 is displayed Thursday at the 2022 K-UAM Confex exhibition, an urban air mobility event, held at a hotel in Yeongjong Island, near Incheon. It runs through Friday.

Nov. 10, 2022

Renault’s QM6 sales stay strong

Renault Korea said Tuesday it sold a total of 2,007 units of the QM6 in October, as the top-selling LPG SUV increasingly appeals to drivers with its spacious interior and comfortable driving. The sales figure accounted for nearly half of the total car sales of the French carmaker, at 4,339 last month. The car’s exports also surged 41.9 percent to 2,449 units compared to the same period last year. The carmaker picked the car’s spacious interior as the key point of attraction to local

Nov. 8, 2022

Is Hyundai Motor bolstering its China strategy?

Hyundai Motor is once again betting big on the Chinese market, this time on commercial vehicles through a deal with a state-run international investment bank on Tuesday. The deal is part of a new strategy for the Korean carmaker, which is targeting the world’s largest market where foreign carmakers are struggling to expand the pie. According to Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Motor Group China signed a memorandum of understanding with the capital management department of state-owned China Internati

Nov. 8, 2022

Congestion levels of rush hour subways similar to that of Itaewon tragedy: data

Commuter data published Thursday by South Korean telecommunications provider SKT showed that during the peak of rush hour, Seoul’s subways have similar levels of congestion as the Itaewon alley during Saturday’s crowd surge tragedy, raising safety concerns. According to data collected between Aug. 1 and Monday, Seoul Metro’s Line No. 1 operates at 252 percent of its passenger capacity at 6:40 p.m. as it passes by Guro Station towards Guil Station, carrying commuters home. Train

Nov. 3, 2022

Jeju kicks off autonomous driving service

South Korea’s Transport Ministry announced Wednesday that it will begin operating an autonomous driving transportation service that can transport tourists and local residents around Jeju Island starting from Thursday. The autonomous driving vehicles will travel two routes. One will travel 16 kilometers back and forth from Jeju International Airport to the road along the coast of Jeju Island passing through Yongduam Rock and Iho Tewoo Beach, and the other will travel 5 kilometers within the

Nov. 2, 2022

Hyundai Motor chief requests Slovakia’s support for Busan’s Expo bid

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun visited Slovakia to request its support for South Korean port city Busan’s bid to host the World Expo in 2030, to the auto giant said Sunday. Chung visited Slovakia on the leg of his European trip to meet country leaders. He met with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala last week. Slovakia holds a significant status as the chair country of Visegrad Group, a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries that also includes Czec

Oct. 30, 2022

Hyundai Motor Group to promote Busan’s 2030 Expo bid in Latin America

Hyundai Motor Group will launch promotional activities in Latin America to support South Korean port city Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo, the carmaker said Thursday. According to the company, Hyundai Motor President and CEO Chang Jae-hoon will visit three Latin American countries – the Bahamas, Chile and Paraguay – and meet high-level government officials to explain Busan's competitiveness and the port city’s future vision for hosting the global event. The Latin

Oct. 27, 2022

Amid IRA setback, Hyundai Motor Group breaks ground for new EV plant in US

  Hyundai Motor Group on Wednesday officially kicked off a construction of its first electric vehicle-dedicated manufacturing plant in Georgia, US, gearing up for mass production of 300,000 cars annually from the first half of 2025 amid the US government pushing ahead with a full implementation of a new law that removes subsidies on electric vehicle made outside of American soil. The envisioned plant named Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) illustrates the carmaker’s latest

Oct. 26, 2022