Volvo Korea, SKT work together for smarter XC60

Volvo Korea unveiled the latest face-lifted version of its flagship sport utility vehicle XC60, equipped with a new smart car system developed in partnership with South Korean mobile carrier, SKT. “Cars no longer only have the function of transportation. It’s a means of one’s lifestyle experience. We hope (the new XC60) becomes a trendsetter in this new wave of change,” said Lee Yoon-mo, CEO of Volvo Cars Korea, during an online meeting with the press on Tuesday. The

Sept. 14, 2021

[From the scene] AMG Seoul offers adrenaline thrill

From the lighting down to the sparkling floor that resembles the asphalt of a racing circuit, AMG Seoul is all about the heart-racing experience it offers high-performance car enthusiasts.  Korea's first AMG Brand Center -- a special dealership store for Mercedes-AMG vehicles -- opened Aug. 5, presenting some of the German automaker’s most distinctive high-performance vehicles. The center, located in Seoul’s Gangnam area, is the brand’s sixth dealership store in the wo

Sept. 14, 2021

Luxury imported cars see record sales in August

Consumer appetite for expensive imported cars is bigger than ever in South Korea. According to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association on Monday, total sales of imported cars with a retail price exceeding 100 million won ($85,156) as of August jumped 65.5 percent on-year. The total number of vehicles in that price range sold in the first eight months of the year was 45,042. This exceeds the total number of high-end imported cars sold in all of 2020, when sales

Sept. 13, 2021

Home shopping rises as new way to buy a car

The ways to buy a car are expanding into the non-face-to-face realms of home shopping TV networks and dedicated websites, taking the hassle out of having to visit a dealership for a new set of wheels. Renault Samsung Motors said Sunday it is launching the Master van on GS Retail’s home shopping channel GS My Shop after it saw successful sales of its electric vehicle Zoe in July. The automaker said they decided to expand the sales route to home shopping programs for the 15-person van am

Sept. 12, 2021

Talks fall through, keeping local carmakers out of secondhand car market

Talks between major automakers and the secondhand car industry have fallen through, stalling the process of opening the market to carmakers, sources close to the matter said Friday. Final negotiations took place Thursday, mediated by a committee dedicated to finding common ground, but to no avail. The issue will now be handled by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The committee was launched in June in hopes of an agreement between carmakers and used car businesses within three months. Though

Sept. 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Wireless EV charging service and 9 others approved under regulatory sandbox

Hyundai Motor’s plans to develop a remote charging system for battery-powered electric vehicles has been given a go-ahead from the Korean government, it was announced Thursday. The wireless EV charging system is among the 10 pilot projects granted a regulatory sandbox, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the sandbox support center at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The regulatory sandbox measure, introduced in 2019, seeks to foster new business

Sept. 9, 2021

[Herald Interview] Edison Motors chief counters skepticism over SsangYong bid

“A shrimp trying to swallow a whale.” Critics invoked that old Korean saying when Edison Motors jumped in the race to acquire the cash-strapped SsangYong Motor. But Kang Young-kwon, the local electric bus manufacturer’s founder and CEO, is confident that his company’s expertise in electric vehicle production is enough to infuse life into SsangYong. “The days of internal combustion engine vehicles are numbered. I believe it is crucial that an electric vehicle c

Sept. 9, 2021

BMW Korea upgrades after-sales service apps, accelerates digitization

BMW Group Korea will upgrade and relaunch its two after service mobile apps, as the carmaker bids to turn all aftersale services digital. The new BMW Plus and Mini Plus will be key platforms for the company’s digital and contactless after-sales service business, it said. 　 With the upgrade, an expanded number of services can be reserved in real time, explained the carmaker, which includes general maintenance, parts replacements and recall services. Customers can also select a service ad

Sept. 9, 2021

Open skies: ‘Flying vehicles’ will solve side effects of hyperurbanization

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island -- Urban air mobility is the ultimate solution to the side effects of hyperurbanization, and businesses and governments alike should work together to open up the skyway, a Hyundai Motor executive in charge of the UAM business said Wednesday. “Urbanization is rapidly progressing around the world, and the serious traffic congestions around the world is becoming real problems of economic and human losses,” Shin Jai-won, chief of the automaker’s Urban Air M

Sept. 8, 2021

EV Expo expands scope of e-mobility

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island -- Amid accelerating global efforts to go carbon-neutral, global automakers are pushing pure electric vehicles into the mainstream, to fundamentally change the face of mobility. The 8th International Electric Vehicle Expo, which kicked off on Tuesday on the southern island of Jeju, seeks to expand the scope of e-mobility, shedding light on other means of transportation, including ships and urban air mobility. “The goal of a carbon-free island cannot be done

Sept. 7, 2021

[News Focus] What’s stopping Hyundai, Kia from selling used cars?

BMW sells used BMW cars. Tesla is set to offer secondhand Tesla cars directly to local consumers soon. But Hyundai and Kia, the two local brands that together carry out nearly 80 percent of new car sales here, aren’t in the used car industry yet. Legally, nothing stops them from selling used cars. In 2019 the country lifted a 2013 ban intended to protect microenterprises. But due to the continued protests of small used car players, the discussion has not made any progress. Late la

Sept. 6, 2021

Korean Air teams up with SK Energy for ‘carbon-neutral’ flight

Korean Air said Monday that it had joined hands with petroleum and refinery company SK Energy to launch carbon-neutral jet fuel in an effort to tackle climate change. Under the partnership, the airline will purchase a month’s worth of carbon-neutral jet fuel for domestic flights departing from Jeju and Cheongju. Carbon-neutral jet fuel can be achieved when enough carbon credits are purchased to offset the total carbon footprint produced through fuel production, transport and consumption

Sept. 6, 2021

[Behind the Wheel] Volkswagen Tiguan -- good value, low price

It is not the fanciest car, but Volkswagen’s Tiguan shows that being faithful to the basics can be a charm. Around the globe, the sport utility vehicle has sold over 6 million units, earning a reputation as a steady seller. For Volkswagen Korea, it is the most important model, since it accounted for over 10,000 of the 17,615 units the company sold last year. With a clear and differentiated strategy to position itself as the best value for money among all imported car brands, Volkswage

Sept. 5, 2021

Hyundai Glovis to enter gas shipping market after striking deal with Trafigura

Hyundai Glovis, the logistics arm of Hyundai Group, announced on Sunday it will enter the gas shipping market in 2024 after striking a multi-year deal with major commodity trading company Trafigura. The shipping deal with the Switzerland-based company will see the Hyundai Glovis carry ammonia and liquefied natural gas for up to 10 years for global markets. Two very large gas carriers (VLGC), which boast 86,000 square meters in capacity, will be built with 200 billion won ($173.2 million) in in

Sept. 5, 2021

Genesis to go all electric by 2025

Genesis, the luxury auto brand of Hyundai Motor Group, will completely phase out internal combustion cars by 2025, it said Thursday, becoming the first Hyundai-owned car brand to announce a full transition to electric vehicles. Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun presented the EV-only vision for Genesis, appearing in a livestream video on its official YouTube channel. He said the brand will achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. “Genesis has been on an intensive, bold and successful

Sept. 2, 2021

Sacha Askidjian tapped as new head of AVK Volkswagen division

Audi Volkswagen Korea has appointed Sacha Askidjian as the new managing director of the Volkswagen brand in Korea, the company announced Thursday. He will replace Stephan Krapp starting from Oct. 1, who will move to the company’s headquarters in Germany to take charge of pricing strategies of Volkswagen cars in Europe. Joining the Audi Volkswagen Group in 2000, Askidjian built a 10-year career in customer service and marketing at the group’s French office. He moved on to the gr

Sept. 2, 2021

Aug. car sales fall 4.5% amid chip shortage

South Korean carmakers' sales fell 4.5 percent last month from a year earlier as an extended global chip shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to weigh on vehicle production and sales, industry data showed Wednesday. The country's five carmakers -- Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp., GM Korea Co., Renault Samsung Motors Corp. and SsangYong Motor Co. -- sold a combined 544,992 vehicles in August, down from 570,601 units a year ago, according to data from the companies. Their domestic sales dec

Sept. 1, 2021

Hyundai unveils mini SUV Casper

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's biggest carmaker, on Wednesday unveiled the mini SUV Casper in the latest move to diversify its product lineup. The Casper comes with a 1.0-liter multi-point injection engine or a 1.0-liter gasoline direction injection engine, the company said in a statement. Hyundai plans to launch the entry-level SUV in the domestic market within this month, a company spokesman said, without elaborating on prices or other details. (Yonhap)

Sept. 1, 2021

Renault Samsung to develop eco-friendly car with Lynk & Co

Renault Group set up a joint venture with China’s Geely Automobile Holdings earlier this month and plans to unveil a Renault brand hybrid passenger car in China and have Renault Samsung Motors develop an eco-friendly vehicle. For the new eco-friendly car, Renault Group said it will share technologies with Lynk & Co, a Chinese-Swedish automobile brand owned by Geely. The research and development team of Renault Samsung is expected to work on an eco-friendly car tailored to Korean cust

Aug. 31, 2021

Incheon Airport to offer 24-hour unmanned currency exchange service

Incheon International Airport is planning to start offering an unmanned currency exchange service beginning in February 2022. Dubbed the “unmanned currency exchange zone,” currency exchange machines will be installed in the airport’s Terminal 2 and will be in service 24 hours a day, officials at Incheon International Airport Corporation said on Monday. IIAC is currently in talks with major banks to introduce the service. Shinhan Bank is on board with the move, according to on

Aug. 30, 2021