GM Korea launches Trailblazer SUV to revive sales

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., on Thursday launched the Trailblazer sport utility vehicle as it strives to revive sales amid labor woes and weak demand.The Trailblazer comes in two versions -- a front-wheel drive version with a 1.2-liter gasoline e-turbo engine and a continuously variable transmission, and another with a 1.35-liter gasoline e-turbo engine -- GM Korea said in a statement.The 1.35 gasoline model is equipped with an all-wheel drive powertrain and a nine-

Jan. 16, 2020

Mahindra may seek support from KDB for SsangYong Motor: sources

An executive from Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. will come to South Korea this week to discuss and seek financial support from the main creditor bank of its local unit, SsangYong Motor Co., industry sources said Wednesday.SsangYong Motor confirmed Mahindra & Mahindra Managing Director Pawan Goenka will visit Seoul on Thursday but didn‘t provide any details about his schedule here. His visit comes ahead of the sport utility vehicle-focused carmaker’s planned board me

Jan. 15, 2020

Genesis’ first SUV GV80 launched, threatens likes of Benz, BMW

Hyundai Motor launched Wednesday the much-anticipated first SUV from its luxury brand Genesis, the GV80, which is expected to compete with models from the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The world’s fifth-largest automaker in terms of sales aims to sell 24,000 units of the GV80 in Korea this year, with plans to launch in North America as well.  According to the company, the two-row GV80 was built on the brand’s first rear-wheel-drive platform, based on three key pillar

Jan. 15, 2020

Kia’s Telluride chosen as 2020 North American SUV of the Year

Kia’s Telluride has been named the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year, the carmaker said Tuesday, marking the first time it has been chosen as a finalist. According to Kia Motors, the Telluride beat out prominent rivals, the Hyundai Palisades and Lincoln Aviator, in the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) awards. “The Telluride’s interior layout and design would meet luxury SUV standards, while its refined drivetrain, confident driving dynami

Jan. 14, 2020

Kia Motors vows W29tr to transform into EV maker

Kia Motors on Tuesday unveiled its strategy to transform into a mobility solutions provider and ramp up its lineup with 11 new models to achieve global electric vehicle market share of 6.6 percent by 2025. Under its mid- and long-term business plan called “Plan S,” the sister company of Hyundai Motor said it will focus on EVs by injecting 29 trillion won ($25.1 billion), as well as increase profitability by offering customized mobility solutions.The vision was unveiled during it

Jan. 14, 2020

Mercedes-Benz vows to maintain top spot in Korea with 15 new releases

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Tuesday it will release nine new models and six face-lifted vehicles this year to maintain its top position in the imported car market here.The automaker also touted its product lineup that “fits Korean tastes” as the reason for topping industry sales for four years in a row, during the automaker’s New Year’s press conference.According to the company, it has sold a record-high of 78,133 vehicles last year, up by 10.4 percent from the previous year

Jan. 14, 2020

Hyundai targets sales of 1m cars annually in US by 2025

The US subsidiary of South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor said Sunday it aims to sell 1 million units annually by 2025, on the back of rapid sales of the new Genesis model and sport utility vehicles. While the once-lucrative US market has seen total car sales fall by 1.1 percent last year to 17.08 million units due to global protectionism and sluggish global economy, sales of recreational vehicles inched up 2.8 percent, increasing its ratio in total sales to 71.9 percent in 2019 from 69.1 perce

Jan. 12, 2020

HDC board OKs W400b rights issue for Asiana acquisition

HDC Hyundai Development Co. said Friday it will raise 400 billion won ($344 million) in a rights issue to help finance its acquisition of Asiana Airlines Inc.HDC plans to issue 21,969,110 shares, or half of its outstanding 43,938,220 shares, at about 18,550 won per share, the company said in a statement.The price will be finalized on March 2, and investors are required to make their payments for the purchase of the new shares by March 13. The new HDC shares are set to be listed on the main KOSPI

Jan. 10, 2020

Renault Samsung workers wage sudden strike, renegotiation falters

Unionized workers at Renault Samsung staged an impromptu partial strike late Wednesday despite a planned renegotiation with the management the next day, according to the automaker. The South Korean carmaker said the unionized workers staged a four hour-long partial strike by suspending the operation of the production line. A Renault Samsung representative told The Korea Herald that given the current situation, the planned renegotiation on Thursday has been canceled. According to t

Jan. 9, 2020

Toyota to launch 4 new models in H1 to boost S. Korea sales

Toyota Motors Corp. said Thursday it will launch four new models in South Korea in the first half of the year to jump-start its lackluster sales amid trade tensions between Seoul and Tokyo. Toyota Motors plans to introduce the gasoline-powered GR Supra sports car on Jan. 21, the Camry's sports version XSE gasoline model in February and the all-wheel drive Prius and Prius C Crossover gasoline hybrid models in March, the company said in a statement.For the whole of 2019, Toyota sold 10,611 vehicle

Jan. 9, 2020

Hyundai, Kia's US sales rise 4.6% on brisk demand for SUVs in 2019

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Thursday their combined sales in the United States rose 4.6 percent last year, helped by robust sales of SUVs. In 2019, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 1,304,109 vehicles in the world's most important automobile market, up 4.6 percent from 1,257,307 units the previous year, the companies' sales data showed. The annual figures include sales of Genesis models that are sold under Hyundai's independent Genesis brand. Hyundai and Genesis' US s

Jan. 9, 2020

SUV sales in S. Korea hit record high in 2019

Sales of sport utility vehicle models in South Korea hit a record high last year as carmakers strengthened their SUV lineups to meet rising demand for recreational vehicles, industry data showed Thursday.  For the whole of 2019, the country's five automakers, including Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., sold a combined 575,662 SUVs here, accounting for 38 percent of their domestic sales of 1,533,166 passenger vehicles, according to the carmakers' sales data.  Their local sales fel

Jan. 9, 2020

[CES 2020] Chung Euisun leads aggressive mobility drive with global firms

Hyundai Motor Group’s Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun has been highlighting the conglomerate’s transformation into a mobility solution provider by partnering with global firms in the industry. South Korea’s top auto group said Wednesday that it sealed a partnership with Uber at Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas, to develop an urban air mobility business and create “the world’s top personal air vehicle.” “Based on the collaboration with Ube

Jan. 8, 2020

[CES 2020] Hyundai foresees personal air vehicle by 2028

Hyundai Motor envisions a future of mobility where people can hop on a personal air vehicle and transfer to a specialized vehicle that doubles as a restaurant or even a clinic, its chief said Monday.Speaking at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun unveiled a smart mobility vision for hubs that link aerial vehicles with specialized ground transportation. “We have thought deeply about what is significant when it come

Jan. 7, 2020

Volvo aims to sell 12,000 vehicles in S. Korea this year

Volvo Cars Korea said Tuesday it aims to sell 12,000 vehicles this year on higher demand for its SUVs.The 2020 sales target is 14 percent higher than the carmaker's sales of 10,570 vehicles last year, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.Volvo's three best-selling models were the midsize XC60 SUV, the compact XC40 SUV and the S90 upper midsize sedan in 2019, driving up the annual sales result, the KAIDA data showed. The midsize S60 sedan and the V60

Jan. 7, 2020

With Cherokee Trailhawk to debut this year, Jeep joins 10,000-unit club

American classic sport utility vehicle brand Jeep sold 10,251 units in Korea in 2019, joining the “10,000-unit club” here for the first time, the company said Monday. The 10,000-unit mark is a standard that measures whether foreign carmakers have made a safe landing here.According to Jeep, it saw a 35.1 percent increase in annual sales last year from the year prior, bringing it to seventh among foreign carmakers and second among imported SUV brands.  It is the first time for the

Jan. 6, 2020

Hyundai Motor rolls out upgraded Kona Electric 2020

Hyundai Motor said Monday it has launched Kona Electric 2020, an upgraded version of the country’s most-sold electric vehicle last year.A total of 13,587 units of Kona Electric were sold in the domestic market last year, maintaining its top position in the EV market for two years in a row.  The automaker said all trims of Kona Electric 2020 have adopted 10.25-inch navigation, offering drivers with wider, clearer screen as well as various multimedia contents. The navigation program is

Jan. 6, 2020

[Monitor] EV sales by Hyundai, Kia more than double

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors said they have seen their combined electric vehicle exports more than double last year.In 2019, the two carmakers exported 63,414 EVs, up from 27,798 units a year earlier.Their other eco-friendly vehicles including plug-in hybrid and fuel cell EV models also increased 16 percent to 226,581 units last year.Hyundai’s all-electric models include the Ioniq and the Kona Electric. Kia sells the Niro Electric and Soul electric boxcar in global markets. H

Jan. 5, 2020

Airlines to expand number of flights ahead of Seollal

The country’s airlines are expanding their numbers of flights ahead of Seollal and throughout the holiday, industry sources said Friday. Seollal, the Lunar new year, is one of the biggest holidays in Korea. This year’s Seollal falls on Jan. 25, with the holiday running from 24th until 27th.  Korean Air said it would add a total of 26 more domestic flights connecting Gimpo to Jeju, Cheongju to Jeju and Gimpo to Busan, from 23rd to 27th.Asiana Airlines said it will add 12 mor

Jan. 3, 2020

Carmakers to launch new models in first half of 2020 to recover sales

Carmakers are rushing to launch new models in the first half of the year -- mainly market-dominating sport utility vehicles -- seeking opportunities to recover sales, according to industry sources.Hyundai Motor’s first-ever Genesis SUV GV80 opens up this year’s new vehicle lineup. The automaker released images of the luxury SUV GV80 on New Year’s Day, raising market expectations for the model set to debut in mid-January.  The three-row SUV from Hyundai Motor’s l

Jan. 2, 2020