Tesla accident: Faulty vehicle or bad driving?

South Korean police are investigating a Tesla crash that killed one person and injured two others last week, to see if defects in the vehicle could have played a role. The Yongsan Police Station said Sunday that the vehicle has been delivered to the National Forensic Service for a forensic investigation, after the Seoul Western District Court issued a search and seizure warrant Friday. The vehicle, a Tesla Model X produced this year, caught fire after crashing into a wall late Wednesday as i

Dec. 13, 2020

Hyundai Motor Group acquires US robotics firm

Hyundai Motor Group is taking the first major step toward transforming into a smart mobility solution provider, acquiring the world’s leading robotics firm, Boston Dynamics. The Korean conglomerate announced late Friday its agreement with SoftBank to acquire a controlling interest in the mobile robot firm, valued at $1.1 billion. Under the agreement, three Hyundai Motor companies and group Chairman Chung Euisun will together hold 80 percent of the firm’s shares, while SoftBank r

Dec. 13, 2020

Hyundai Motor to acquire 80-pct stake of Boston Dynamics from SoftBank

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group said Friday its affiliates and its chairman will buy an 80-percent stake, worth up to 900 billion won ($828 million), in US robotics firm Boston Dynamics Inc. in the latest move to propel its future mobility business. The board of directors at Hyundai Motor and its two affiliates, Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Glovis, approved the plan to acquire the controlling stake in Boston Dynamics from Japanese investment firm SoftBank Group, Hyundai Motor said in a regulator

Dec. 11, 2020

Audi Volkswagen Korea to launch 8 EV models over 3 years

Audi Volkswagen Group has unveiled its electrification strategy and business plans in the Korean market over the next years. The group said in a digital press conference Friday its four affiliated brands -- Audi, Volkswagen, Lamborghini and Bentley -- will release more than 20 new models next year and eight electric car models within three years in the Korean market. The German automaker plans to increase the proportion of electric vehicle sales in Korea to 11 percent of the total sales b

Dec. 11, 2020

Virus-hit Jeju Air to receive state funding for survival

South Korea will inject 32.1 billion won (US$29 million) into the virus-hit budget carrier Jeju Air Co. to help it stay afloat amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, a state lender said Thursday. The Key Industry Stabilization Fund will extend 25.7 billion won in loans to Jeju Air and invest 6.4 billion won in the carrier's convertible bonds, the state-run Korea Development Bank, which operates the fund, said in a statement. Jeju Air, the country's biggest low-cost carrier, is required to tak

Dec. 10, 2020

Hyundai to invest W60tr by 2025

Hyundai Motor unveiled Thursday its new “2025 Strategy” for innovative mobility solutions and core business strategies such as electric vehicles, urban air mobility, autonomous driving, fuel cells and the hydrogen ecosystem. The nation’s largest automaker announced the plan during its CEO Investor Day forum held online for shareholders, analysts and credit rating agency officials. During the event, the company vowed to invest 60.1 trillion won ($55 billion) in future busines

Dec. 10, 2020

[Herald Interview] Korea eyes how to revitalize aviation industry

The year 2020 has been one marred by a global pandemic. For the aviation industry, it was a time of unseen hardships. Countries around the world took a different approach to the virus crisis as some tried to maintain the flow of people while others were quick to close down the borders. South Korea‘s strategy was to balance the two apporaches, said Kim Sang-do, deputy minister for civil aviation at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. “We did a great job preemptive

Dec. 9, 2020

Kia Motors workers to strike again for three days

Kia Motors’ labor union on Wednesday began a partial strike, its third collective action this year, following the collapse of negotiations over wages and other issues a day earlier. Lost production from strikes this year is expected to exceed 30,000 vehicles. Representatives of the management and the union held talks for two days, but failed to reach a compromise. Following the talks’ collapse at midnight Tuesday, the union decided to cut work short by four hours per day for three

Dec. 9, 2020

Korean Air completes first cold-chain delivery of COVID-19 vaccine materials

In a country first, Korean Air transported raw materials used to make COVID-19 vaccine from Korea to the Netherlands on Tuesday, the company said Wednesday. The South Korean flag carrier used a cold-chain system to deliver the packages weighing 800 kilograms, including containers and dry ice. Of the 800 kilograms, 208 kilograms is dry ice in special containers to keep temperatures below minus 60 degrees Celsius for some 120 hours – a threshold required to safely transport raw materials f

Dec. 9, 2020

Kia workers stage partial strike amid pandemic

Unionized workers of Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, entered a partial strike again Wednesday as they failed to reach an agreement with the management over working conditions. Kia Motors and its union have held 15 rounds of meetings in this year's wage talks, but the two sides failed to narrow their differences over overtime work hours in the latest negotiation. Day and night shift workers will each stage four-hour strikes daily from Wednesday to Friday at plants in

Dec. 9, 2020

GV70 to target luxury SUV market

Genesis, a luxury automobile brand from Hyundai Motor Group, unveiled its second sport utility vehicle online Tuesday, the GV70. The new vehicle will be introduced in South Korea as early as January. Genesis aims to lead the luxury SUV market through the GV70. “The domestic luxury SUV market was expected to be somewhat slower than the growth of luxury SUVs abroad due to its high price. But, GV80 is writing a new history and GV70 will continue to lead the sales of mid-sized luxury SUVs

Dec. 8, 2020

[Monitor] Korean carmakers to enjoy highest sales in 18 years

South Korean carmakers are forecast to notch their highest combined sales figures in 18 years, according to industry data released Sunday. The country’s five finished automobile manufacturers sold a total of 1.47 million vehicles in Korea between January and November this year. The figure was up 6.2 percent from the same period last year. If the trend continues, total sales will surpass 1.6 million vehicles at the end of the year. This would mark the highest total since 2002. The com

Dec. 8, 2020

Korean Air to charge additional fees on emergency exit seats

Korean Air Lines Co. said Monday it will begin charging additional fees on emergency exit row seats when booking international flights next year. South Korea's biggest carrier said on its website that optional fees will be charged on exit row seats with extra legroom, which are located in the front row of each section of the economy class, starting Jan. 14. Emergency exit row seats will be limited to passengers that satisfy the official safety requirements, and those who book the seats will b

Dec. 7, 2020

[Behind the Wheel] Mercedes-Benz 2021 E-Class gets fresh, modern touch

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is South Korea‘s most beloved imported sedan. Since its launch in 2016, the 10th generation E-Class models have sold about 160,000 units, making it the best-selling imported car in Korea. Last year, the E-Class was the top-selling luxury car among both Korean and imported cars. Maintaining the highest spot in the luxury sedan market, however, is not an easy job. Hyundai’s luxury sedan Genesis G80 came on fast this year, overtaking the E-Class. By October

Dec. 6, 2020

Renault Samsung’s QM6 climbs sales chart

Renault Samsung Motors said Thursday its sports utility vehicle QM6 has climbed the sales chart to lead company’s performance this year. According to the automaker, the QM6 model sold 4,323 units in October, up 35.6 percent from the month before. The gasoline model, QM6 GDe, which has topped the mid-sized SUV market in South Korea for the second half of this year, takes 50.7 percent of the total sales of QM6, with 2,191 units, the automaker said. The rest is taken by QM6 LPe, which is

Dec. 3, 2020

Korean Air vows no layoffs despite Asiana takeover

Korean Air’s president has said there would be no layoffs as a result of its takeover of Asiana Airlines. Woo Kee-hong, the airline’s president, said during a press briefing on Wednesday that most staff at both airlines would stay despite the takeover as Korean Air had “no plans to reduce supply.” His remarks come one day after a court ruling cleared the first legal hurdle for the acquisition. The share price of Asiana, which had been on the rise since the announcement

Dec. 2, 2020

Hyundai Motor Group reveals new platform dedicated to electric cars

Hyundai Motor unveiled on Wednesday its new battery electric vehicle (BEV) dedicated platform, which will serve as the core technology for the automobile group’s next-generation electric vehicles. The automaker said the Electric-Global Modular Platform, or E-GMP, would underpin a range of new vehicles starting 2021, including Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 5 and Kia Motor’s first electric vehicle to be revealed next year. Battery electric vehicles are those that only use energy stored

Dec. 2, 2020

Hyundai vehicle sales in US fall 9% in Nov.

Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday its vehicle sales in the United States fell 9 percent last month from a year earlier on lower demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hyundai Motor sold 55,171 vehicles in the US in November, down from 60,601 units in the same period of last year, the company said in a statement. The monthly sales declined as "there were three fewer selling days and one less selling weekend" last month amid COVID-19 challenges, it said. "We've never had a better pr

Dec. 2, 2020

Mercedes-Benz Korea launches new E-Class Coupe, Cabriolet

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Tuesday it has officially launched new models for its revamped E-Class -- two Coupe models and a Cabriolet -- completing the lineup of its bestselling luxury sedan family. The automaker presented a four-seater coupe, the new Mercedes-Benz E 450 Coupe, and the high-performance AMG variant, the new Mercedes-AMG E 53 4Matic+ Coupe. Also launched was a four-seater open-top model, the new Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic Cabriolet. The launch of the new E-Class Coupe and E-Class

Dec. 1, 2020

Court clears path for Korean Air to buy Asiana

A court on Tuesday rejected an injunction request against Korean Air’s plans to take over Asiana Airlines, in the latest step giving a boost to the high-profile acquisition deal involving South Korea’s two national flag carriers. “The case involving issuance of new shares is in accordance with the commercial law and Hanjin KAL’s articles of incorporation and has been done within necessary boundaries to achieve the goal of managing a consolidated airline,” the Seou

Dec. 1, 2020