Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 5 ranks top in Auto Bild’s EV test

Hyundai Motor Group said Monday that its flagship electric vehicle Ioniq 5 has ranked top in German automotive magazine Auto Bild’s EV test, beating other European rivals such as Audi Q4 e-tron and Polestar 2. In the latest edition of Auto Bild, the vehicles were tested and evaluated based on seven categories including performance of powertrain, driving comfort, connectivity, eco-friendliness and price competitiveness.  Ioniq 5 ranked top in four categories with a total of 573

March 28, 2022

SsangYong Motor takeover in jeopardy as buyer fails to pay

A takeover deal of debt-laden SsangYong Motor appears to have fallen into a quagmire again as its buyer, local electric bus manufacturer Edison Motors, failed to pay the bill. The consortium led by Edison Motors failed to pay the remaining payment of 274.3 billion won ($224.1 million) by Friday, local media reported Sunday, quoting industry sources. Without complete payment, the Edison Motors-led rehabilitation plan for the financially troubled SUV maker is rendered meaningless, industry watch

March 27, 2022

Travel ban lifted for GM Korea CEO

The South Korean government on Friday lifted an overseas travel ban on GM Korea CEO Kaher Kazem, almost 16 months after the Australian GM executive was barred from leaving the country on charges of illegally outsourcing labor. Kazen is currently standing trial for violating labor laws after the carmaker was found to have hired some 1,719 workers from 24 subcontractors to work at its local plants between September 2017 and December 2020. The Seoul headquarters is suspected to have directly inst

March 25, 2022

[KH Explains] Where can you travel from Korea quarantine-free?

If you are fully vaccinated in South Korea or elsewhere and have your vaccination status registered in the country, you can now enter without quarantine on the way back. Those who are fully vaccinated abroad but have not been able to register their vaccination status in the COOV system will also be free of the seven-day long self-quarantine, which is currently required, from next month. As of Wednesday, 54 countries and territories around the world have banned entry from foreigners, of which 2

March 23, 2022

Kia EV6 wins Best of the Best award in 2022 Red Dot Design Awards

Kia’s first all-electric vehicle EV6 won the Best of the Best award in the prestigious 2022 Red Dot Design Awards, according to Kia on Tuesday. The Red Dot Design Award is among the world’s most prestigious design awards that reward the most innovative design concepts besides the iF Design Award and International Design Excellence Awards. EV6 also claimed the Red Dot Innovative Products awards. “Kia implemented its new design philosophy ‘Opposites United’ on EV6,

March 22, 2022

Carmakers gearing up to reshape used car market

After the Ministry of SMEs and Startups greenlighted the large automotive companies’ entry to the secondhand car market, carmakers here have been quick to announce their plans to launch secondhand services within the year.  Their entry could bring huge change to the used car market here, which has been protected by the government until recently for microenterprises. Lotte Rental, which operates a rent-a-car business, announced Friday that it would also enter the used car market in

March 20, 2022

[Test Drive] Electrified GV70 proves smooth EV shift in Genesis series

Genesis, Hyundai Motor’s standalone luxury brand, proved that it not only makes great combustion engine cars but also premium electric cars by introducing the Genesis Electrified GV70. The luxury electric SUV has inherited much of the exterior and interior design of the original GV70 which had been praised by many car lovers for its sophisticated design. But some changes here and there helped the electrified model look much more dynamic and athletic than its previous model. For instance

March 18, 2022

Hyundai to produce IONIQ 5 in Indonesia plant

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it will produce the IONIQ 5 all-electric model in its first manufacturing plant in Southeast Asia. Hyundai Motor completed the 150,000 unit-a-year plant in the Deltamas industrial complex near Cikarang, 40 kilometers east of Jakarta, in December. The Indonesian plant is already producing the compact Creta SUV, a strategic model for the region, and is expected to churn out the Santa Fe SUV in the first half and a small multi-purpose vehicle in the

March 16, 2022

Renault‘s Korean unit carves out Samsung from its brand name

Renault’s Korean unit announced Wednesday that it has started the process of removing Samsung from its name and rebranding itself as Renault Korea Motors. The carmaker explained that it hopes to enhance its brand image as a domestic carmaker with its new name by replacing Samsung with Korea despite being part of Renault Group and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. “Under the new name Renault Korea Motors, we will revise product and service competitiveness to meet the high sta

March 16, 2022

Hyundai Motor's Jakarta plant opens as part of SE Asia drive

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor Group opened its first Southeast Asian manufacturing plant in Indonesia on Wednesday, gearing up its drive to expand its presence in a region long dominated by Japanese rivals.  The plant, located in the Deltamas industrial complex 40 kilometers east of the capital city of Jakarta, has started mass production of Hyundai's flagship electric vehicle Ioniq 5, the first EV to be manufactured in the country, the carmaker said. It plans to invest 1.92 trillio

March 16, 2022

[Test Drive] Volvo C40 Recharge: Sporty, fun but pricey

Simple but sporty is how Volvo’s first all-electric SUV Coupe, the C40 Recharge, can be best described. The first impression of C40 Recharge is that it looks very similar to the brand’s first pure electric compact SUV XC40 Recharge, both from the outside and inside. But on a closer look, the C40 Recharge design has added a spoonful of sportiness. Volvo got rid of XC40’s roof and instead, it let the roof line slip toward the back to make it more aerodynamic and energy efficie

March 15, 2022

[UP IN THE AIR] Volocopter eyes Asia-Pacific as key market for air taxi service

Stepping closer to a longtime dream of mankind, Volocopter, a Germany-based startup that develops electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, will start a commercial air taxi business in the next two years -- but overcoming regulatory hurdles and gaining public acceptance remains a challenge. “At this point, it is no longer a question of if electric air taxi services will come to cities around the world, but when,” said Hon Lung Chu, Head of Singapore and BD Southeast As

March 15, 2022

LG CNS offers personal data log service

LG CNS said on Tuesday it began pilot operation of an app that collects, stores, analyzes and processes personal data on everything from daily transactions to hours spent on YouTube to making recommendations for smart spending The Haruzogak app brings together pieces of data scattered across different apps, records a customer’s daily life, and reports how much she spent on delivery food, how many times she visited convenience stores and how many hours she spent on stock investments e

March 15, 2022

[Test Drive] Electrified Mini adds comfort in city driving

For Mini Cooper fans, it’s likely the car’s iconic design is enough for them to put up with the notorious bumpy ride. The electrified compact vehicle, however, dispels such worries. Like any other EVs, the Mini Cooper SE Electric offers a smooth driving experience in a quieter atmosphere. Not just because of the 32.6 kWh battery that replaces the gasoline-powered powertrain but also because of the lower center of gravity, 30 millimeters lower than the standard Cooper -- a significa

March 14, 2022

Hyundai Motor’s subscription service expands to Seoul with Ioniq 5

Hyundai Motor Group’s flagship electric vehicle model Ioniq 5 is now available for mobility subscription service from Hyundai Selection in metropolitan areas including Seoul. The Korean automaker said Sunday that Ioniq 5 will be offered as an option in the monthly program Regular pack. The model was only offered for the daily-subscription plan Special pack subscribers in Jeju and Busan.  Hyundai Motor said such service expansion will allow more customers to experience Ioniq 5, which

March 13, 2022

SsangYong Motor’s creditors to request rebidding

SsangYong Motor’s creditors will be requesting a rebidding of the merger and acquisition of the carmaker next Tuesday, according to SsangYong Motors. The debt-laden SsangYong Motors confirmed that creditors had brought up the prospect of looking for a new owner instead of completing the M&A procedure with the bidder Edison Motors for a while. South Korean electric carmaker Edison Motors had stepped closer to acquiring major stakes in SsangYong Motor in January after the two firms cli

March 9, 2022

Nickel’s price surge threatens carmakers’ EV push

Price increases of metals essential for electric batteries could spell trouble for automakers who are already struggling to keep costs down in the face of supply chain disruptions, market insiders said Wednesday. The price of nickel is surging as Russia, a key supplier of the metal, faces extensive global sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. On Tuesday, the price of nickel doubled to $100,000 per metric ton, causing the London Metal Exchange to suspend trading for the rest of the day on wo

March 9, 2022

Hyundai Ioniq 5 named UK car of the year

Hyundai Motor’s all-electric Ioniq 5 was named the UK car of the year, for its stylish design, power efficiency and practicality as a family car, the company said Tuesday. Ioniq 5 took the throne after being awarded the top prize in the Best Family Car category, beating out nine other UK car of the year category winners. Among the top 10 finalists were Fiat 500-e, Skoda Fabia, Kia Ceed, Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, Toyota Yaris Cross, Skoda Enyaq, BMW iX, Porsche Taycan, and Hyundai i20N.

March 8, 2022

Hyundai Motor's factory in Russia remains closed amid Ukraine crisis: company officials

South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. has cancelled a plan to resume the operation of a factory in Russia due to continued supply disruptions amid the Ukraine crisis, company officials said Tuesday. Hyundai Motor originally planned to reopen the temporarily suspended operation of the factory in St. Petersburg on Wednesday but called it off due to persisting supply shortages of automotive semiconductors, according to the officials. The plant has been shut down since March 1. Automotiv

March 8, 2022

Hyundai begins sales of the latest 2022 Avante

Hyundai Motor announced Tuesday that it will officially begin sales of the latest 2022 model of Avante, its compact sedan. The 2022 Avante comes with enhanced sound-absorbing doors and with more basic and extra options. The model will have 8-inch display audio in all trims, which before was only applied on its ‘smart’ trim. Hyundai added extra options such as ‘Smart Sense 3’ which includes rear collision prevention assistance and safety exit warning, as well as the cho

March 8, 2022