Renault Samsung names new CEO

Renault Samsung Motors said Friday that Renault Group has named Stephane Deblaise, the former vehicle program director at the French headquarters, as a new chief to lead the Korean business.  The 49-year-old who served Renault’s advanced project and cross-car line program director until recently will assume the new role from March 1.  Deblaise is joining the Korean unit as the first CEO with an engineering background. He also served as Renault’s chief engineer to oversee

Feb. 11, 2022

Kia tops JD Power’s reliability study

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday Kia Motors has topped JD Power’s reliability study for the first time, outpacing all rivals in the mass-market and premium segments.  Kia ranked first in JD Power’s 2022 US Vehicle Dependability Study, while its bigger sister Hyundai Motor came third. Genesis, which has become an independent luxury brand, ranked fourth overall, topping the premium segment.  The second place was taken by GM’s Buick brand.  This year’s JD P

Feb. 11, 2022

Korean Air, Airbus, Air Liquide, Incheon Airport join hands for carbon-neutral aviation

Key stakeholders in the nation’s aviation industry -– Korean Air, Airbus, Air Liquide and Incheon International Airport Corp. -– have joined hands to prepare for a roadmap for carbon-neutral aviation. The four parties on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding, under which they agreed to speed up plans to introduce hydrogen fuel and build related infrastructure at airports. The event was attended by Korean Air’s Executive Vice President and Chief Safety & Op

Feb. 10, 2022

Asiana Airlines certified 5-Star Airline for 16 years

Asiana Airlines said Wednesday that it has been certified by Skytrax, a leading review site for airlines, as a 5-Star Airline for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. The airline has been winning the highest rating for 16 consecutive years since 2007. This year, Asiana Airlines has also been certified with the highest Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating that reviews airline health, hygiene, and cleanliness standards. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, t

Feb. 9, 2022

Korean Air-Asiana merger takes step further with Singapore approval, FTC’s imminent decision

A merger between South Korea’s two biggest air carriers picked up pace on Wednesday after they received an unconditional approval from Singapore and as a final decision by the Fair Trade Commission approaches next week. According to Korean Air, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore concluded that the air carrier’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines will not infringe Singapore’s Competition Act. The decision comes after the CCCS conducted a public consultation last

Feb. 9, 2022

Kia to launch 6 EVs by 2027 via joint venture renewal in China

Kia, South Korea’s second-largest automaker, will launch six electric vehicle models by 2027 in China by renewing its joint venture in the country, where it has been losing presence in recent years over soured bilateral ties between Seoul and Beijing. Starting with the EV6 next year, Kia will bring new battery-powered vehicles each year and realign its strategic models with bigger vehicles that are more globally popular such as the Carnival and Sportage. The new China plan was released

Feb. 7, 2022

Mercedes-Benz fined W20.2b for emissions fiddling

Mercedes-Benz has been fined 20.2 billion won ($16.84 million) by the nation’s antitrust watchdog for fiddling with emissions readings in its diesel cars here. According to the Fair Trade Commission on Sunday, the German luxury carmaker falsely advertised some of its diesel vehicles as capable of reducing 90 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions, the main culprit of fine dust, and that it satisfies Euro 6 environmental standards. These claims were advertised extensively through the brand&

Feb. 6, 2022

[Subway Stories] Passengers down by 25% last year amid pandemic

Seoul Metro saw the number of passengers drop by 25 percent last year compared to pre-pandemic levels, new data revealed on Thursday. The subway operator said some 1.95 billion passengers used the city’s subway system in 2021, which also connects to neighboring areas such as Incheon and Gyeonggi. The figure stood at 2.67 billion in 2019 and 1.93 billion in 2020, based on the subway lines operated by Seoul Metro. This highlights the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on one of the largest s

Feb. 3, 2022

[Test Drive] With the all-new Kia Niro, Kia steps closer to sustainable mobility

The design of the all-new Kia Niro did it all to captivate young drivers, not to mention its fuel efficiency and comfortable driving experience. Looking very much like Kia’s concept car HabaNiro, the all-new Kia Niro infused its ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy into the environmentally friendly SUV by making the body two-toned with a bold boomerang-shaped Aero C-Pillar at the rear that completes the futuristic design of the car. During its four-day long preorder, a total

Jan. 28, 2022

Hyundai Motor to reenter Japan with green cars

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor is set to return to Japan’s passenger car market within the first half of the year, according to industry sources and reports Tuesday.　 Hyundai’s reentry to Japan comes 13 years after its withdrawal from the market dominated by domestic carmakers. With its enhanced eco-friendly technology, Hyundai believes that it has achieved a competitive edge to tap into the neighboring country. The carmaker will return with its electronic car lineup, includ

Jan. 25, 2022

Minor domestic carmakers to face fines over lack of green car sales

Domestic carmakers that lack green car models such as Renault Samsung, SsangYong and GM Korea are expected to face heavier pressure from the government to increase supply of more sustainable cars this year. According to the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday, it will impose fines on automakers that have not been able to fulfill a certain percentage of car sales with more environmentally friendly cars, including electric and hydrogen vehicles, this year. Carmakers that have sold an annual avera

Jan. 25, 2022

Mercedes-Benz Korea to add more EVs, bolster online shop service this year

Mercedes-Benz Korea will focus on launching electric models to complete its EV-lineup in all segments this year, as well as bolstering the supply chain via its online shop, the company said Tuesday. After launching the full-change C-class model in the first quarter, the new EQB will be launched in the second quarter. It is the second compact SUV model following the new EQA. By year-end, the new EQE will be launched, the second model to be based on the modular architecture for premium EV after t

Jan. 25, 2022

[Test Drive] Polestar 2, simple but powerful

The Polestar 2, the first Polestar car to hit the Korean roads, is a performance-driven car, living up to the reputation of the Swedish carmaker that was once Volvo’s racing skunkworks. With the new model, Polestar aims to compete head-on with the Tesla Model 3, the world’s most popular plug-in EV in 2020. At first sight, one can easily grasp that Polestar 2 displays Scandinavian aesthetics: clean and simple lines and functionality without sacrificing beauty. It has a clean-cut

Jan. 24, 2022

Hyundai sweeps Best Cars for the Money awards in US

Hyundai Motor said Sunday it has won five US News and World Report 2022 Best Cars for the Money Awards, outpacing rivals in the awards that put a spotlight on cars and SUVs that represent the best combination of long-term value and excellent ownership experience. The Hyundai winners include: the Elantra hybrid, Tucson hybrid, Kona subcompact SUV, Tucson compact SUV and Santa Fe 2-row SUV. Its smaller sibling Kia Motors’ Telluride also topped the best 3-row SUV for the money category. T

Jan. 23, 2022

Kia EV6 wins Car of Year, Electric SUV of Year in UK

Kia said Friday that its electric SUV model EV6 has been recognized as Car of the Year and Electric SUV of the Year by the UK automotive What Car?’s Car of the Year Awards, Friday. “The EV6 combines a huge real-world range with the ability to charge at speeds that no rival can keep up with, addressing two of the biggest concerns that people still have about electric cars. Kia has been able to take advantage of the compact size of electric motors and produce a car that’s hugely

Jan. 21, 2022

Hyundai Motor’s used car market entry blurry after ministry puts on hold

Hyundai Motor Group’s launch of B2C secondhand car business has met with headwind after the ministry put a halt on the business launch temporarily, according to the industry on Tuesday.  The Ministry of SMEs and Startups last week advised the nation’s largest carmaker to temporarily suspend the launch of the certified used car sales business here. The advisory comes after the country’s association of used car dealership asked the ministry to intervene the automotive congl

Jan. 18, 2022

[Test Drive] Genesis G90, how different from S-Class

When it comes to luxury sedans, Mercedes Benz’s S-Class easily comes to mind. It’s obviously difficult to go beyond the German carmaker's brand reputation and technology built over decades, but the 6-year-old Korean luxury car brand Genesis is seeking to lure customers in the high-end luxury segment with its flagship full-size sedan G90 that offers a brand new experience different from S-Class.  Rather than presenting state-of-the-art auto technology to easily edge out its Germ

Jan. 16, 2022

German carmakers take up 60 percent of imported car sales

Imported commercial car sales in South Korea surpassed 200,000 units again this year despite an automotive semiconductor shortage, an industry association said Thursday. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, imported commercial car sales for the January to November period this year increased 3.6 percent from the same period last year, selling a total of 252,242 units. The top selling brands were Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi being responsible for more than

Dec. 30, 2021

Container volume hits 6-month low at Incheon Port

Container volume at Incheon Port, the nation’s gateway for seaborne trade, has tumbled to a six-month low due to severe bottlenecks at major ports around the world and more lucrative offers by Chinese cargo owners. According to Incheon Port Authority on Sunday, the goods volume transported through the port was 1.64 million 20-foot-long containers in the June to November period this year, down 5.5 percent from a year ago. The port said cargo owners around the world, especially those fro

Dec. 26, 2021

Korean Air to secure W557.8b in property sale

  Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's national flag carrier, said Thursday it will secure 557.8 billion won ($470 million) through a property sale as part of its efforts to improve its financial status amid a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, Korean Air will sign a deal to sell its land and building at Songhyeon-dong in central Seoul to the public housing developer Korea Land & Housing Corp., the company said in a regulatory filing. LH will exchange the Songhyeon-dong site with

Dec. 23, 2021