Apartment buildings need power upgrade for EV rollout: report

For the proliferation of electric vehicles in South Korea, it is key to upgrade power systems installed at apartment buildings, the predominant type of housing in urban areas here, according to a recent study. Without significant improvement in residential buildings’ electricity capacity, the rush to install chargers at home parking spaces will entail blackout risks, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute said in its report published Tuesday. In August, the government said it would

Oct. 12, 2021

Hyundai Motor to launch self-driving tech test bed

Hyundai Motor is to open a self-driving technology test bed at its R&D Center to speed up development, the automaker said Tuesday. Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s biggest carmaker, said it has been setting up the infrastructure needed for researchers to try out different autonomous driving technologies at its Namyang R&D Center. Located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, the Namyang center is the main research institute for Hyundai Motor Group’s automotive affiliates, Hyundai an

Oct. 12, 2021

Hyundai Mobis develops a foldable steering system

Preparing for the era of self-driving cars, South Korean auto parts manufacturer Hyundai Mobis has unveiled a steering wheel that can be folded while not in use. The affiliate of Hyundai Motor said Monday that it has succeeded in developing the foldable steering wheel system that maximizes drivers comfort by allowing more space. It took around 2 years for the company to successfully develop the entirely new technology that has never been globally commercialized before and the company is curr

Oct. 11, 2021

Hyundai Motor chief to mark 1st year in office

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun on Thursday will mark his one-year anniversary since taking office at the South Korean automotive group. With the new chief at the helm, Hyundai Motor has embarked on a journey of transforming into a future smart mobility company. According to Hyundai officials on Monday, Chung, who inherited the top job from his father and now honorary group chairman Chung Mong-koo last year, has always emphasized that the future lies on resolving problems that peop

Oct. 11, 2021

Korean car makers cry foul over US tax incentive plan for US-made EVs

A Korean carmakers’ association has sent a letter to the US House of Representatives, asking it to reject a legislative bill to offer tax incentives for US-made electric vehicles, arguing the proposed plan could unfairly disadvantage foreign carmakers and limit customer choice. The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday the written letter, directed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Richard Neal, concerns the $4,500 tax incentive plan for American electric vehicles

Oct. 7, 2021

[Video] Hyundai’s mini SUV Casper creates buzz

Hyundai Motor’s little mini SUV, the Casper, is here, creating a buzz in the A-segment market, where the competition has long been dull. This new Casper is Hyundai’s first A-segment release in 19 years, and already it’s received record preorders. Even the president lined up to buy one. The Casper is slightly more expensive than its rivals the Chevrolet Spark and the Kia Ray, but there’s a reason for that. It comes with advanced driver assistance functions that are of

Oct. 6, 2021

[News Focus] Korean Air’s Asiana acquisition: What is happening?

Korean Air’s plan to acquire financially-troubled rival Asiana Airlines is facing a bumpy road as the deadline for the 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) deal has been pushed to the end of this year. The takeover plan was first announced in November last year, making headlines that the two South Korean full service carriers would merge, giving birth to one of the world’s ten biggest airlines. In recent months, however, slow progress for the deal -- which was initially set to be compl

Oct. 6, 2021

In-car payment for food, gas grows popular

Ordering food and receiving it inside your car without reaching for a wallet is the latest fad in the auto industry. Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors last year introduced “Car Pay” which allows drivers to pay for gas and parking by tapping on a touchpad in their vehicles. It became a popular form of contactless payment as the pandemic drew on. Renault Samsung Motors unveiled an in-car payment system that can do more in its new XM3 SUV which hit showrooms in June. Passengers can order

Oct. 5, 2021

Regulator to complete review of Korean Air's Asiana takeover deal this year

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Tuesday it plans to complete its review within this year of a deal by Korean Air Lines Co., the country's biggest carrier, to buy the debt-ridden Asiana Airlines Inc. In a report to the National Assembly, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said it plans to speed up the review in consideration of the value that the deal has for the country's economy. In November 2020, Korean Air said it will acquire its smaller rival Asiana Airlines in a deal valued at

Oct. 5, 2021

IATA sees sharp fall in airline losses in 2022

Global airlines on Monday projected a sharp reduction in industry losses next year as a multispeed recovery from the coronavirus crisis gets under way, but revised up the financial toll inflicted by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The International Air Transport Association, the industry's main trade body, predicted that net losses at airlines would narrow to $11.6 billion in 2022 from $51.8 billion this year.The losses for 2021 were revised up from $47.7 billion estimated in April. IATA also r

Oct. 4, 2021

Hyundai Glovis to launch new brand for hydrogen and EV battery logistics business

Hyundai Glovis, the logistics arm of Hyundai Group, said Monday it will launch “Ecoh,” a new environmentally friendly business brand which will focus on hydrogen distribution and recycling of electric vehicle batteries. The company also said it would expand its hydrogen distribution and infrastructure operations to nine hydrogen shipping centers by 2030 and supply hydrogen to a total of more than 360 charging stations nationwide. The move comes as part of its plan to expand its eco

Oct. 4, 2021

GM Korea to halt plant for 2 weeks next month on chip shortage

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Thursday that it will suspend one of its three plants for two weeks early next month due to a chip shortage.    GM Korea said it will suspend its No. 1 plant in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, which produces the Trailblazer SUV, from Oct. 1-15.    The carmaker has been operating only half of the No. 1 Bupyeong plant this month due to a shortage of chip parts.    The operation of the No. 2 Bup

Sept. 30, 2021

[Behind the Wheel] Hyundai’s compact SUV Casper makes splash

South Korea has long been in love with large luxury cars. Compact cars, despite their practicality and suitability for city traffic, are regarded as only for rookies, or those with thin wallets. But that’s before Casper. Hyundai Motor’s first A-segment release in 19 years, the mini sport utility vehicle has President Moon Jae-in, among others, signed up for preorders. It is creating buzz unseen for many years in the compact car segment for its unique, toy-like design and funct

Sept. 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Transport ministry lays out plans for ‘flying taxis’ in 2025

Urban air mobility, which has been described as ‘flying taxis,’ is on course to become a reality in Korea in 2025 as the Transport Ministry outlined the timeline in a white paper released on Tuesday. According to the paper, an air corridor will be built for drone taxis to fly between Seoul and the outskirts of the city, including Incheon International Airport, during the early stages of the project. The UAM aircraft will be allowed to fly at an altitude of 450 meters with a margin

Sept. 28, 2021

Elon Musk says chip shortage only 'short term'

TURIN (AFP) -- Tesla boss Elon Musk on Friday said that a global semiconductor shortage hitting car firms especially hard would be overcome soon. The chip drought is "short term, I think," the billionaire said in an appearance by video at Italian Tech Week in Turin. "There are a lot of chip fabrication plants that are being built," Musk told the audience of startups, investment funds and tech entrepreneurs. "I think we will have good capacity for providing chips by ne

Sept. 24, 2021

[Herald Interview] ‘Designing user experience key to business success’

Technology is advancing at a dizzying speed, bringing future mobility closer to us. Scenes of driverless vehicles cruising down smart roads and up in the skies no longer sound like science fiction. Against such a backdrop, the idea of design should go beyond just making products look good. It should also be about planning the experience of users, says Kwon Young-jin, who leads Hyundai Motor Group’s Zer01ne Playground, an open innovation platform. “Hyundai Motor Group seeks to rep

Sept. 23, 2021

More travelers to fly to Saipan as travel demand grows

A growing number of people in South Korea are planning to travel to Saipan via a travel bubble amid rising vaccination rates and extended benefits offered for travelers. According to Asiana Airlines on Thursday, over 1,000 bookings have been made for flights to Saipan scheduled throughout the rest of the year. An Asiana flight to Sapian last Saturday, just ahead of the Chuseok holiday, had 150 passengers on board, accounting for 85 percent of bookings. With more than 9 in 10 people on board

Sept. 23, 2021

Eastar Jet submits restructuring plans to court

Eastar Jet Co., a debt-ridden South Korean budget carrier, said Friday it has submitted restructuring plans to a bankruptcy court to finalize an acquisition deal with a local property developer, aiming to resume flights next year. Eastar Jet submitted its debt repayment and other rehabilitation plans to the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, three months after Sung Jung Co. signed a deal to buy an 80 percent stake in the low-cost carrier for 108.7 billion won ($97 million). Eastar is required to first

Sept. 17, 2021

Hyundai, Boston Dynamics unveil factory safety robot

Hyundai Motor Group has begun test operating a robot to inspect safety at its automotive plant, in collaboration with robotics startup Boston Dynamics, the group said Friday. Hyundai Motor Group, which operates two leading automotive companies Hyundai Motor and Kia, said it has deployed Spot, Boston Dynamics’ quadruped robot, to inspect safety at Kia AutoLand Gwangmyeong, Kia’s automotive plant facility in Gyeonggi Province. It is the first joint project between Hyundai and Bosto

Sept. 17, 2021

Genesis to implement face recognition tech in GV60 for first time

Genesis will implement face recognition technology on its GV60, the brand’s first electric sport utility vehicle planned, Hyundai Motor, the firm behind the automobile brand, said Thursday. According to the automaker, the new technology dubbed Face Connect will allow drivers to control a car -- opening the door and starting the car -- using their biometric data instead of a smart key. This would allow the driver to close the car with the smart key inside, or not need to carry keys at a

Sept. 16, 2021