Hanjin KAL management feud comes to rest as KCGI-led alliance disbands

The power struggle over Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Hanjin Group, seemed to settle at last as the three-way alliance of an estranged sister of the Korean Air chairman, an activist fund and a builder officially disbanded, industry data showed Friday. In a regulatory filing, Grace Holdings, which is a special purpose firm of the activist fund Korea Corporate Government Improvement, Bando Engineering and Construction and Cho Hyun-ah said they have ended their agreement for joint ownership

April 2, 2021

Hyundai, Kia US sales jump 76% on SUVs in March

Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Corp., South Korea's two biggest carmakers, said Friday their combined US sales jumped 76 percent in March from a year earlier on robust demand for their SUV models. Hyundai and Kia sold a total 141,926 vehicles in the United States last month from 80,531 units a year ago, according to the companies' sales data. "Strong consumer confidence, stable inventory, a compelling lineup, attention-grabbing advertising and the efforts of our dealer partners all c

April 2, 2021

Kia's March sales jump 19% on SUV popularity

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, said Thursday its sales gained 19 percent last month from a year earlier on solid demand for SUVs. Kia sold 251,362 vehicles in March, up from 231,543 units a year ago, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales reached 51,011 units last month, nearly the same level from a year earlier. Overseas sales rose 11 percent on-year to 200,351 units due to the low base effect from last year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the automotive industry, it

April 1, 2021

Hyundai's March sales rise 22% on SUV demand

Hyundai Motor Co. said Thursday its sales jumped 22 percent last month from a year earlier on robust demand for its SUV models despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The country's biggest carmaker sold 375,924 vehicles in March, up from 307,176 units a year earlier, helped by strong demand for the Palisade SUV, the Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle, the Genesis GV70 and GV80 SUVs, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales climbed 2.3 percent to 73,810 units from 72,180 during the same per

April 1, 2021

Renault Samsung's March sales tumble 43% on weak domestic demand

Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Thursday its sales plunged 43.2 percent last month from a year earlier due to weak domestic deman. The South Korean unit of Renault S.A. sold 8,572 vehicles in March, down from 15,100 units a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales tumbled 52.7 percent on-year to 5,695 units last month, and exports slid 6.8 percent to 2,877 units over the cited period, the company said. A total of 102 Renault Zoes, its supermini electric car, were sold i

April 1, 2021

[Behind the Wheel] Ford Ranger Raptor, Wildtrak can stand on some of toughest terrains

In South Korea, where a great portion of the population is concentrated in urban areas, pickup trucks are not the most popular vehicle types. But with the rising trend of outdoor activities, and as more adventure enthusiasts find fun in driving through the mountainous terrains of the country, interest in pickup trucks is increasing. According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, the pickup truck market had hovered around 20,000 units in annual sales, but that number has grown,

April 1, 2021

GM Korea's March sales dip 21.8% amid pandemic slump

GM Korea Co. said Thursday its sales decreased 21.8 percent last month from a year earlier on weak demand at home and abroad. The South Korean unit of General Motors Co. sold 29,633 vehicles in March, down from 37,981 units the previous year, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales sank 31.4 percent on-year to 6,149 units, and exports declined 18.9 percent to 23,484 autos over the cited period, it said. The Detroit carmaker has three Korean plants -- two in Bupyeong and one in Changwo

April 1, 2021

Hyundai teases Santa Cruz ahead of US launch this month

Hyundai Motor Co. on Thursday released a teaser for the Santa Cruz pickup ahead of its unveiling in the United States this month. The Santa Cruz sport adventure vehicle (SAV), a model that sits between a sport utility vehicle and a pickup truck, boasts a bold yet sophisticated design, advanced connectivity and an all-wheel drive platform, the company said in a statement. "Santa Cruz, with its bold styling, breaks open all-new segment territory, both for Hyundai and the industry as a whole

April 1, 2021

5 firms to recall nearly 230,000 vehicles over faulty parts

Hyundai Motor Co., BMW Korea and three other companies will voluntarily recall nearly 240,000 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry said Thursday. This is the latest in a series of recalls by carmakers operating in South Korea and vehicle importers due to problems with vehicle components. The five companies, including Kia Corp., Ford Sales & Service Korea Inc. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) Korea, are recalling a combined 238,914 units due to faulty components

April 1, 2021

Korean Air, Asiana to merge under one brand in 2024: Korean Air president

Korean Air aims to launch a single integrated entity with Asiana Airlines, its biggest acquisition to date, in 2024, its chief executive president said Wednesday. Explaining to reporters the post-merger integration plan, which it reported to Asiana’s main creditor earlier this month, Woo Kee-hong said Asiana Airlines would operate as a subsidiary of Korean Air for two years before being integrated into one brand. “Once Asiana Airlines become a subsidiary of Korean Air, the proces

March 31, 2021

Genesis showcases luxury EV concept coupe

Genesis, the independent luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Co., on Wednesday unveiled a premium electric concept car ahead of the launch of the brand's first electric vehicle later this year. The Genesis X, showcased in a digital event and an offline debut in Los Angeles, is an EV-based high-performance Gran Turismo coupe and the brand's fifth concept car, Hyundai Motor said. The two-line lighting motif, applied throughout the interior and exterior, embodies the design language of future Genesis E

March 31, 2021

Hyundai to suspend Ioniq 5 production on chip shortage

Hyundai Motor Co. said Tuesday it will suspend production at a domestic plant that produces the Ioniq 5 all-electric model due to a chip shortage. Hyundai plans to halt the operation of the No. 1 plant in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul, which also produces the Kona subcompact SUV, due to lack of parts from April 7-14, a company spokesman said over the phone. The decision comes amid a lack of semiconductor parts used in the Kona's front vehicle camera system and a problem in Hyundai M

March 30, 2021

Incheon Airport: Korea’s main airport marks 20 years as global hub

Incheon Airport marked its 20th anniversary of operations on Monday. Since its opening two decades ago as the country’s main gateway airport, it has become one of the busiest in the world, connecting 255 flights between 63 countries. In 2019, the airport boasted the third-largest cargo traffic and the fifth-largest volume of international traffic, according to Incheon International Airport Corp., the airport’s operator, based on data from Airports Council International. President

March 29, 2021

Hankook Tire builds excellence in high performance tires

Hankook Tire & Technology, the world‘s sixth-largest tiremaker by sales, has spent time and resources in research and development of high performance tires in order to sharpen its competitive edge over global rivals. That investment seems to have paid off, as the firm has landed a series of original equipment tire supply deals for some of the finest cars in the world. According to the Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province-based firm, Hankook’s tires have been chosen for the most advan

March 28, 2021

BMW Korea to introduce new cars, service centers to improve customer satisfaction

BMW Group Korea will introduce 10 new cars to local customers this year, including electric vehicles and new Mini models, and will expand its facilities here, adding new service centers, showrooms and expanding its existing logistic center to improve customer satisfaction, the automaker said Sunday. In its first launch this year, the automaker in February rolled out the second-generation BMW 4 Series, to which the brand’s new “design language” has been applied. The renewed

March 28, 2021

Korean Air’s Cho Won-tae survives proxy vote, remains CEO

Cho Won-tae, CEO of the nation’s flag carrier Korean Air and its holding Hanjin Group, has been reappointed to lead the company, despite the country’s pension fund operator’s disapproval in doing so. Shareholders in attendance at the meeting on Friday, or those who had submitted a proxy statement in advance, represented 56.91 percent in terms of shares. Nearly 83 percent of the shareholders with voting rights voted in favor of Cho, the company said. The National Pension Servi

March 26, 2021

Hyundai Glovis open for break-bulk transport

Hyundai Glovis is expanding its cargo business to use its pure car and truck carriers for break-bulk transport to diversify its business portfolio, the company said Thursday. As freight owners are experiencing shortage of shipping containers, Hyundai Glovis seeks to utilize its car and truck carriers, the vehicle delivery arm of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, explained. Break-bulk shipping is transporting cargo or goods that cannot fit in standard-size shipping containers or cargo

March 25, 2021

What lies in future for Korean Air?

Battered by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent traveling limits, South Korea’s national flag carrier Korean Air hit the rockiest patch of its half-century history last year. While there seems to be hope on the horizon on the back of the acquisition of longtime rival Asiana Airlines, the air carrier is still looking at another challenging year -- this time due to the uncertainty of the post-coronavirus recovery and slow vaccine distribution. In the latest developments

March 24, 2021

Incheon Airport to host aviation conference in celebration of 20th anniversary

Incheon International Airport Corp. will host the fifth Annual World Aviation Conference on Monday in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The event, which will take place at Paradise City in Incheon and will be livestreamed on YouTube for seven hours, will focus on the age of coronavirus and the post-pandemic future of the aviation industry and airports around the world, the corporation said. Dubbed “Innovation Beyond Boundaries: The New Airport Paradigm,” the event will feature s

March 24, 2021

Han Sung Motor’s art scholarship evolves

Han Sung Motor’s unique art scholarship program, which supports 40 young students a year to foster their artistic dreams, has reached a 10-year milestone this year. Looking ahead to the next decade, the official dealership for Mercedes-Benz here has launched the Dream Gream 2.0, an upgrade to the program that chief executive Ulf Ausprung designed and introduced back in 2012. The Dream Gream 2.0 adds a variety of new activities to the existing program in order to benefit not just the c

March 24, 2021