Harman named best in class car audio in JD Power survey

Harman Korea said Monday it was named the best car audio supplier by JD Power, a US market research firm, for the highest quality and customer satisfaction. According to Harman, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, its Revel and Lexicon branded speaker systems have been awarded top honors in the JD Power 2020 US Multimedia Quality and Satisfaction Study, released Saturday. Revel speakers are in the Lincoln Navigator, and Lexicon speakers are in the Genesis G70. The J

Oct. 12, 2020

Hyundai Motor to recall overseas Kona EVs over potential battery fire risks

Hyundai Motor Co. has decided to voluntarily recall its Kona all-electric models sold overseas, industry insiders said Sunday, after the automaker vowed to take the same step on the home turf over potential battery fire risks. Hyundai will globally recall some 77,000 Kona Electric models manufactured between September 2017 and March, 2020, industry insiders said. The recall comes after 13 fires in the model have been reported since 2018. The South Korean automaker already decided to recal

Oct. 11, 2020

Korea’s shipbuilding industry picks up thanks to Greece

On recent orders from Greek shipping companies, South Korea’s shipbuilding industry regained the No. 1 spot from China in the third quarter of this year, data showed Sunday. According to UK-based market research firm Clarksons Research, Greece placed orders for 18 ships worth 589,421 compensated gross tonnage from Korean shipbuilders this year, accounting for 20.7 percent of Korea’s total orders this year and making Greece the No. 1 source of its orders. During the same period,

Oct. 11, 2020

[Behind the Wheel] Volvo S90 taps into Korea’s cutthroat executive car market

With the launch of the facelifted luxury sedan S90 in Korea, Swedish automaker Volvo has thrown down the gauntlet to the German automotive brands that dominate the nation’s executive car market. In the executive car market, or E-segment, Koreans are avid buyers of German brands, such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series and Audi A6. The three models have a combined 77 percent share in the nation’s luxury E-segment market. Volvo, which boasts strong sales in sport utility

Oct. 11, 2020

Hyundai Oilbank to operate 200 EV charging stations by 2023

Hyundai Oilbank announced Thursday it plans to grow the number of its electric vehicle charging stations to 200 by 2023. The petroleum and refinery company currently operates 20 charging stations for electric cars, but a partnership agreement signed with Charzin, a company specializing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, on Wednesday will see the number grow tenfold in the next three years. Under the new move, electric vehicle chargers of 100 kilowatts or more will be installed at gas

Oct. 8, 2020

Hyundai Motor pushes for global expansion of hydrogen trucks

Hyundai Motor said Thursday that it is pushing for the global expansion of its Xcient Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass-produced fuel cell electric heavy-duty truck, as it delivered the first batch to customers in Switzerland. At a delivery ceremony in Lucerne, Switzerland, Wednesday, Hyundai said it had handed over seven of the Xcient Fuel Cell trucks to seven customers -- Coop, Migros, Travego, Galiker, Camion, Murpf and Leclerc -- which are major Swiss retail and logistics firms. T

Oct. 8, 2020

Hyundai to recall over 25,000 Kona EVs for faulty battery part

Hyundai Motor Co. will voluntarily recall over 25,000 Kona all-electric models for a faulty battery cell component, the transport ministry said Thursday. Hyundai Motor will recall 25,564 Kona Electric models manufactured between Sept. 29, 2019, and March 13, 2020, as a possible short circuit in the faulty battery cell system may start a fire in the pure EV model, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The recall comes after 13 cases of fires in the model have

Oct. 8, 2020

[Behind the Wheel] Mercedes-Benz keeps up game in rising compact SUV market

Maintaining its position as a favorite foreign car brand in South Korea, Mercedes-Benz has geared up for the competition of sports utility vehicles, presenting a lineup of entry-level, compact SUV models last month. The automaker has been leading the imported vehicle market here with its premium family sedan E-Class selling best for a couple of years. In the first half of this year, Mercedes-Benz kept its place by selling 47,613 units, shaking off the runner up, BMW, standing at 36,498 units,

Oct. 7, 2020

Hyundai Mobis invests $25m in UK augmented reality head-up display provider

Hyundai Mobis said Wednesday it invested $25 million in Envisics, a UK-based augmented reality head-up display provider. The auto parts company has been making investments in autonomous driving and electrification over the last three years in response to the growing need for self-driving cars. The augmented reality head-up display, or AR HUD, is a next generation safety convenience feature that matches driving information with the road ahead in real-time and projects it onto the windshield. &

Oct. 7, 2020

Audi redefines brand, promotes sustainable digital premium mobility

Audi said Tuesday that it is starting a global brand campaign to transform its corporate identity, emphasizing sustainable and digital premium mobility. With the slogan “The future is an attitude,” the automaker said it seeks to show the automotive industry how to realize an electric, digitalized and emotional future. “By refining our brand strategy we give a contemporary definition to ‘Vorsprung (to lead)’ and make ourselves ready for the future -- for a new auto

Oct. 6, 2020

Hyundai Glovis enters Kazakhstan logistics market

Hyundai Glovis said Tuesday it set up a new branch in Kazakhstan and signed a seven-year transportation business deal with local beverage firm RG Brands, its first move to target the logistics market in Central Asia. RG Brands, established in 1994, ranks second in the local beverage market. Under the partnership, Hyundai Glovis is set to carry out transportation business in Nur-Sultan, capital of Kazakhstan, and major cities such as Almaty and Shymkent. Its main task is to deliver produc

Oct. 6, 2020

[Monitor] Hyundai, Kia sold fourth most EVs worldwide

The nation’s largest automakers, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, sold the fourth most electric vehicles among global car brands by July of this year. Citing data provided by SNE Research, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute said Monday the two automakers sold a combined 6,707 electric vehicles in the global market by July, ranking fourth in terms of sales. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Oct. 6, 2020

EV competition gets tougher in Korea

The electric vehicle competition in South Korea is becoming fiercer with more local and foreign automotive brands launching their new electric cars in line with government support and the global environmental trends. In the first half of this year, 22,267 electric vehicles were sold here, up 23 percent from the same period last year, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, although sales of EV passenger cars among them slightly declined 2.7 percent. The surge was mainly

Oct. 3, 2020

Air traffic to stay below pre-pandemic levels next year

Airline traffic in South Korea and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region will remain well below 2019 levels next year due to the coronavirus's impact on the airline industry, according to a global ratings agency Saturday. The pace of the recovery will depend on each market's relative success in bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control to help improve passenger confidence and reduce the risk of further travel restrictions, Fitch Ratings said. "Airline passenger volume could impro

Oct. 3, 2020

Air Busan to resume flights to Qingdao on biz demand

Air Busan Co., the budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc., said Tuesday it will resume flights to the Chinese city of Qingdao in mid-October to meet travel demand from businessmen. Air Busan plans to offer one flight a week on the Busan-Qingdao route from Oct. 15 after suspending the route for more than seven months due to the coronavirus impact on the airline industry, the company said in a statement. In July, the carrier resumed the Incheon-Shenzhen route, but other Chinese routes to N

Sept. 29, 2020

[Photo News] Genesis unveils its first GV70 teaser image

NEW GENESIS IN CAMOUFLAGE -- Genesis unveiled its first GV70 teaser image wrapped in camouflage Tuesday. Genesis emphasized the brand’s identity by attaching the G-Matrix pattern camouflage film to the GV70. The GV70 is the fifth vehicle in the Genesis lineup, and is a rear-wheel-drive-based luxury midsize sport utility vehicle. (Hyundai Motor)

Sept. 29, 2020

Two flights redirected from Incheon airport due to reported drone activity

Two flights were diverted from Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Monday due to a report of suspected drone activity, airport officials said.    The airport suspended operations of all flights between 6:59 p.m. to 7:44 p.m. and redirected a passenger airplane and a cargo flight to nearby Gimpo International Airport after a report was filed that an object suspected to be a drone was spotted around the airport.    The police said they sent officers to the site

Sept. 28, 2020

Air Busan aims to raise W89b in rights offering

Air Busan, the budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines, said Monday it seeks to raise 89 billion won ($76 million) in a rights offering in December to secure operating capital.    Air Busan will issue 30 million shares at 2,970 won per share, first to existing holders on Dec. 7-8 and then in a public offering on Dec. 10-11, the company said in a statement.    "Faced with an unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the airline business, the company has decided o

Sept. 28, 2020

Hyundai Motor taps into China with new cars, smarter technologies

The nation’s largest automaker, Hyundai Motor, said Sunday that it had unveiled new cars and technologies targeting China at the 16th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, which kicked off a day earlier. The automaker said it showcased a technology brand, called “H Smart+,” exclusively for China. The space consists of three areas: a clean field that focuses on electric cars and hydrogen cars, a connected field showing connectivity technology such as Baidu 3.0 and B

Sept. 27, 2020

Hyundai Motor Group appoints Alain Raposo to lead powertrain unit

Hyundai Motor Group appointed powertrain expert Alain Raposo as executive vice president in charge of its powertrain tech unit at the group’s research and development division on Friday. Hyundai said Raposo will be responsible for engine, transmission and electrification development for Hyundai and Kia brands at the group’s global R&D headquarters, starting Monday. According to the automaker, Raposo is an expert who has led the research and development for powertrains, electr

Sept. 25, 2020