Hankook Tire to supply tires for GM's new pickup trucks

South Korea’s leading tire manufacturer Hankook Tire & Technology Co. will supply tires for General Motors‘ new pickup trucks, the company said on Monday. The Dynapro MT2, Hankook Tire’s most extreme off-road all-season brand, will be supplied for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty and GMC Sierra HD, two models that share a platform. Having won the Red Dot Design Award, the tire boasts additional off-road grip due to angled V-shape shoulder scallops, according to the

Nov. 23, 2020

Hyundai Motor, Ineos partner to explore hydrogen business opportunities

South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor and London-based chemicals company Ineos have partnered to explore new business opportunities in the global hydrogen economy, the automaker said Monday.  Earlier on Friday, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly investigate opportunities for the production and supply of hydrogen as well as the worldwide deployment of hydrogen applications and technologies. The two companies plan to introduce a new hydrogen elec

Nov. 23, 2020

[Behind the Wheel] Renault Samsung’s QM6 returns with refreshed look

A year and a half after presenting its sports utility vehicle QM6 with upgrades including new powertrains, Renault Samsung Motors introduced a new version of the bestselling model this month with a revamped exterior. Renault Samsung’s QM6 has been a cash cow for the automaker, having sold more than 160,000 units in the domestic market since its launch in 2016 and topping the country’s monthly sales of SUVs on several occasions. The first upgraded model came out in June 2019, when

Nov. 22, 2020

SsangYong’s SUV lineup shines amid pandemic

As the pandemic continues, car camping is gaining popularity for many outdoor enthusiasts seeking ways to follow the social-distancing measures. Ssangyong Motor, which specializes in sport utility vehicles, has been riding on the trend, as its vehicles focus on large cargo capacity, convenience and safety. For one, its 2021 compact SUV Tivoli Air is able to transform itself into a driver’s outdoor movie theater. When the second-row seats are folded down, the indoor space reaches 1,879 m

Nov. 22, 2020

Korean Air to push for employees’ leave of absence instead of restructuring

Korean Air President Woo Ki-hong said the firm would push for employees’ leave of absence instead of cutting headcount once the merger with Asiana Airlines takes place. “Korean Air has never undergone artificial restructuring over the past 51 years,” Woo told reporters after the 22nd Tourism Industry Committee meeting in Seoul on Friday. “In order to increase efficiency after the merger, (some) employees will take a leave of absence until the end of the coronavirus cr

Nov. 20, 2020

Korean Air's Asiana acquisition faces bumpy road after injunction

Creditors' plan to sell the debt-laden Asiana Airlines Inc. to its bigger rival Korean Air Lines Co. faces a bumpy road as a local equity fund has filed an injunction against the plan. On Tuesday, Asiana's main creditor, the Korea Development Bank (KDB), signed an investment agreement with Korean Air's parent Hanjin KAL Corp. to inject 800 billion won ($723 million) into Hanjin KAL through a rights offering and convertible bonds. Hanjin KAL will then participate in a 2.5 trillion-won stock sal

Nov. 20, 2020

Hyundai Steel to hold online conference on H-Solution next month

Hyundai Steel said Thursday it will hold online conferences to introduce its automobile brand H-Solution and the technologies on future mobility next month. The South Korean steelmaker said it will hold four online conference sessions from Dec. 2-10 to present the automotive steel brand H-Solution and its technologies and products relevant to future mobility. On the first day of the conference, the steelmaker will discuss prospects for the materials used in producing electric and hydrogen f

Nov. 19, 2020

GM warns it may leave Korea as conflict with union continues

As General Motors Korea continues to struggle with labor strife and dwindling performance, GM’s international chief hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from the country. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Steve Kiefe, the president of GM’s international operations, said GM has other options to produce cars in Asia, including China, where it builds nearly 5 million vehicles a year. GM workers have been staging two four-hour strikes daily since Oct. 30. The major stic

Nov. 19, 2020

Volkswagen Tiguan sells 10,000 units in Korea this year

Volkswagen Korea said its mid-sized sport utility vehicle Tiguan surpassed 10,000 units in cumulative annual sales, a first for an imported SUV, the automaker said Thursday. According to Volkswagen Korea, the accumulated number of registered Tiguan units sold locally this year is 10,043. Tiguan has sold a total of more than 55,000 units since its debut in Korea in July 2008. This is the first time that annual sales have exceeded 10,000 units since the launch. The automaker said the key to T

Nov. 19, 2020

CJ Logistics introduces electric trucks in local industry first

CJ Logistics said Wednesday it will introduce electric trucks to replace its diesel vehicles, for the first time in the Korean logistics industry. The company said it will introduce 1-ton electric freight vehicles and also start a new business installing EV charging stations for the trucks. To begin, the company said it will operate two electric trucks each in two sub-terminals in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, and Ulsan. Marking the introduction of the electric vehicles, CJ Logistics held an ope

Nov. 18, 2020

Hanjin chief defends merger amid criticism

Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae said Wednesday that the merger of the nation’s two largest carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, will not lead to price hikes or workforce restructuring. After attending the Korea-US Business Meeting at the Federation of Korean Industries in Seoul, Cho told reporters, “There may be concerns about such a (monopoly),” but “there will be no (lower) customer convenience or price hikes.” Regarding the restructuring of the workfor

Nov. 18, 2020

Sitting room with a steering wheel: BMW unveils new electric Mini concept

BMW Group unveiled Tuesday a new electric vehicle concept for its Mini brand, dubbed Mini Vision Urbanaut, tha seeks to bring a living-room like feel to the interior. During its #NEXTGen 2020 digital showcase held online, the German-based automaker revealed the new “digital vision vehicle” that uses a purely electric drive system. “In the MINI Vision Urbanaut, we extend private space far into the public realm, creating completely new and enriching experiences,“ Adrian

Nov. 17, 2020

Renault Samsung's SM6 gains popularity with new powertrain

The revamped version of the SM6 is gaining popularity for its new powertrain, Renault Samsung Motors said Tuesday. First released in 2016, the automaker presented the revamped version of the new SM6 in July this year, with upgrades in its powertrains. The automaker said it took three and six months to present the upgraded mode, to take in and reflect the opinions of its customers. For the development of the facelifted SM6, the company plowed in 230 billion won ($208 million), Renault Samsung

Nov. 17, 2020

GM Korea workers to strike again

GM Korea’s labor union, which is in a tug-of-war with the management over wage and collective bargaining negotiations, is set to stage another four-day partial strike starting Tuesday, adding to the uncertainties facing the automaker as it struggles with weak performance. The GM Korea union said Monday that it had decided at a central dispute committee meeting to stage a four-hour partial strike from Tuesday to Friday. It will be the fourth partial strike in this year’s wage negotia

Nov. 17, 2020

[News Focus] Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana to create global top 10 airline

South Korea will have a mega carrier ranking as one of the world’s top 10 by fleet, following the country’s No. 1 carrier Korean Air’s decision to acquire its close rival Asiana Airlines on Monday. In the past months, Kumho Industrial struggled to find a new owner for Asiana, the country’s second biggest carrier. Most recently, its attempt to sell it to HDC Hyundai Development, a local property developer, collapsed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Korean Air an

Nov. 16, 2020

[Monitor] Korea to have world’s 10th-largest airline

According to global aviation industry statistics released by the International Air Transport Association, Korean Air stood at No. 18 among airlines worldwide in terms of revenue-passenger kilometer, a measure of the distance traveled by all the passengers. Asiana Airlines, another flag carrier of South Korea, came in at No. 32. If Korean Air successfully acquires Asiana Airlines as planned, it would rise to 11th place. In terms of the number of international transport passengers, the acqui

Nov. 16, 2020

[Behind the Wheel] Hyundai Motor’s new Kona returns with race-inspired N-Line

Hyundai Motor’s latest Kona model was launched in South Korea as the automaker’s first race-inspired sport utility vehicle. Since the compact SUV Kona was first launched in 2017, other models, such as the Kona Electric and Kona Hybrid, were released in 2017 and 2018, respectively. This year, Hyundai added another derivative, the N-Line. Last month, the Korea Herald had an opportunity to test-drive the newest Kona for about two hours in Gyeonggi Province. The Kona N-Line looks mo

Nov. 15, 2020

Ministries to discuss Korean Air’s plan to buy rival Asiana

Following reports of Korean Air’s possible acquisition of Asiana Airlines, the government is set to hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the deal between South Korea’s flag carriers, according to financial industry sources on Sunday. During a ministerial meeting presided over by the country’s chief of economy and industries, ways to normalize Asiana’s business are expected to be discussed, including reported plans by Hanjin Group, which owns Korean Air, to buy out its tr

Nov. 15, 2020

Hyundai to launch Genesis GV80 SUV in US within this year

Hyundai Motor Co. said Sunday it will begin the sale of the GV80 SUV under its independent Genesis brand in the United States within this year to support sales despite the coronavirus outbreak. Hyundai launched the GV80 SUV in South Korea in January and plans to introduce the first SUV model with the Genesis badge in the US as well as other markets such as Australia, Russia and the Middle East in the fourth quarter, a company spokesman said over the phone. The maker of the Sonata sedan and t

Nov. 15, 2020

Owner of Korean Air in talks to acquire Asiana Airlines: sources

Hanjin Group, which owns South Korea's top flag carrier Korean Air Lines, is mulling acquiring the country's No. 2 carrier Asiana Airlines Inc., sources here said Thursday. Hanjin Group is in talks with the state-run Korea Development Bank, the main creditor of Asiana, to buy the debt-ridden carrier, the sources said. "The KDB first came up with the idea, and they have been negotiating for about two months," a source familiar with the matter said. A KDB official said a deal with

Nov. 12, 2020