[Hydrogen Korea] ‘Hydrogen technology could save ailing shipbuilders’

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles on South Korea’s latest measures, hurdles and the market drive for hydrogen economy. This is the fourth installment. -- Ed.Hydrogen technology, which aims to replace the use of fossil fuels, would not only benefits carmakers, but also other traditional industrial players such as shipbuilders, the head of H2Korea said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald.“The market perception that the government’s push for hydrogen technology is only for

Sept. 12, 2018

Hyundai, Kia become third-largest SUV makers in H1

Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia Motors were the third-largest sport utility vehicle makers in the first half of the year, a survey showed Wednesday.According to the UK market research firm Jato Dynamics, combined SUV sales by the two companies accounted for 8.2 percent of total global sales of SUVs, a 1.2 percentage point increase from 7 percent in the same period last year. Facelifted Tucson unveiled in Aug seen during a test drive. (Hyundai Motor)About 15 million SUV units were sold i

Sept. 12, 2018

Hyundai expands investment in new batteries, mobility services

Hyundai Motor is investing in foreign startups in the US that develop solid-state batteries and mobility services, as part of its investment in future technologies, according to news reports.The South Korean carmaker was among a list of investors in the Series A funding round arranged by Solid Power, a Colorado-based solid-state battery cells maker, according to Bloomberg on Tuesday. The list of investors for the $20 million financing round also included the venture capital unit of Samsung Elect

Sept. 11, 2018

[Newsmaker] The war is on: Elliott reveals letters to Hyundai in apparent resumption of push for change

Elliott Advisors, the Hong Kong arm of Elliott Management, on Friday afternoon released letters it had sent a month earlier to directors of Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors. The recent move is a response to news reports full of speculation that the US hedge fund leaked excerpts of its letters to the media.“Because portions of these letters were selectively provided to the press and others, Elliott has decided to make the full contents of the letters publicly available in the i

Sept. 7, 2018

Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman vows to lead India’s smart mobility revolution

Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun vowed on Friday to transform the automotive group in response to changes in the auto industry so that it can take the lead in India’s smart mobility revolution.Speaking in New Delhi at the first Global Mobility Summit, called MOVE and organized by the Indian government, Chung detailed the three-point strategy that Hyundai would pursue in order to reach its goal in the world’s fourth-largest electric vehicle market, where it now ranks No. 2 in sales after

Sept. 7, 2018

Hyundai unveils facelifted Avante, aims to sell 120,000

Hyundai Motor unveiled an upgraded version of the sixth-generation Avante on Thursday, targeting young drivers looking for their first cars. The carmaker has set a sales target of 120,000 units by next year. The new compact car underwent a drastic change in its design with arrow-like triangular elements on the front and wheels.“The car will become a new standard in the global midsized sedan market, with a near-full design change, state-of-the-art safety features, enhanced performance and fuel ef

Sept. 6, 2018

Korea to slap penalties on defect coverups by carmakers

The South Korean government said Thursday it will impose penalties on carmakers that cover up manufacturing defects and fine them for delayed recalls.The move comes in the middle of BMW Korea's recall of 106,317 vehicles in South Korea to fix a faulty part following dozens of engine fires in its cars so far this year. (Yonhap)"A series of fires in BMW vehicles has fueled safety concerns among local consumers. The government has come up with strengthened measures to keep carmakers from delaying r

Sept. 6, 2018

Hyundai, Kia see US sales rise in August

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors sold a combined 111,406 units in the United States last month, up roughly 3.5 percent on-year on the back of strong sales of sport utility vehicles in the overall US auto market, the company said Wednesday.Of the total, Hyundai’s luxury sedan brand Genesis accounted for 613 units.By carmaker, Hyundai Motor sold 57,542 units last month, up 6 percent, the company said. The Avante compact car was the No. 1 seller with 14,502 units, followed by the midsize SUV Tucson wit

Sept. 5, 2018

Audi tests A8 partial automation capabilities here

Audi Korea began test running its partially self-driving car at the country’s test bed for automated vehicles in Gyeonggi Province, the company said Wednesday, becoming the first import carmaker to test out its self-driving technology here.Since receiving authorization to test out its driverless Audi A8 flagship car this March from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, experts from German headquarters flew in last month and held a pre-test run at K-City, Korea’s test bed for self-d

Sept. 5, 2018

Korea’s autonomous shuttle begins test run

South Korea’s first-ever driverless vehicle to be developed by a municipality -- dubbed Zero Shuttle -- began a test drive Tuesday at the second Pangyo Techno Valley in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.Two of the level-four autonomous 11-seaters will run between the entrance of the second Pangyo Techno Valley and the Pangyo subway station, a distance of about 5.5 kilometers. The vans will travel at 25 kilometers per hour. There are five levels of autonomy among self-driving vehicles, with a level-fiv

Sept. 4, 2018

Iveco releases New Daily Euro 6 here

Iveco, an Italy-based industrial vehicle manufacturer, unveiled the New Daily Euro 6 in South Korea with the aim of boosting its sales in the mid-to large-sized commercial vehicle segment, the company said Tuesday. “Based on Iveco’s revolutionary technology, fuel efficiency has been maximized, while fuel consumption and emissions have been lowered, ultimately minimizing environmental effects and providing outstanding performance,” said Choi Jeong-sik, country manager of CNH Industrial Korea, whi

Sept. 4, 2018

[Behind the Wheel] 2018 Jeep Wrangler traverses rough terrain

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- As Fiat Chrysler Korea eyes to make the most of South Korea’s growing sport utility vehicle market and boom in leisure activities, the sixth-generation JL Wrangler was launched here last month amid high expectations from the carmaker and local off-road adventurers.The fully changed Wrangler is back in the market 11 years after the mega-hit fifth-generation Wrangler was launched in 2007. It boasts upgraded off-road driving performance, convenient driving functions

Sept. 2, 2018

Korea to carry out intensive tests on fire-prone BMW cars

South Korean automobile experts plan to carry out a wide range of tests on three BMW 520d sedans by December to try to determine the exact cause of fires that have destroyed dozens of cars here.The Korea Automobile Testing and Research Institute said Friday it will find out the circumstances behind the incidents and reconstruct how the fires started at its facility in Hwaseong, southwest of Seoul. (Yonhap)The institute, which is controlled by the South Korean government, said it will also check

Aug. 31, 2018

Another BMW car catches fire in Korea

A BMW vehicle caught fire in South Korea on Thursday amid a series of similar cases that have led the German carmaker to start a massive recall in the country.　Local authorities said a BMW 750Li automobile caught fire at 3:58 p.m. in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, as it was being driven. The 2010 automobile, which runs on gasoline, was not on the list of cars recalled by the German carmaker.　The fire was extinguished within 20 minutes and no causalities were reported, as the driver esca

Aug. 30, 2018

Amid BMW engine fire turmoil, police raid BMW Korea office

A team of 30 investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched the BMW Korea office in central Seoul to seize documents related to exhaust gas recirculation, the defective part BMW cited as the reason behind its vehicles catching fire, according to police Thursday.This is the first time police have searched BMW Korea’s office. It has been investigating whether BMW intentionally hid the defect, upon criminal investigation sought by 41 BMW owners earlier this month against BMW offic

Aug. 30, 2018

BMW Korea chief says he will consider halting sales of fire-prone models

As confusion surrounding BMW vehicle fires continues, BMW Korea Chairman Kim Hyo-joon said Tuesday that he would look into halting sales of fire-prone BMW models until the investigation into the cause of the engine fires is completed. His remarks were made during a hearing at the National Assembly, where members of the Land, Infrastructure & Transport Committee grilled Kim and questioned five experts involved in the BMW incidents, including Transport Vice Minister Kim Jeong-yeol.Chairman Kim sai

Aug. 28, 2018

Hyundai to mass-produce Ioniq scooters: source

Hyundai Motor is looking for a local partner to mass-produce an electronic scooter it unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show last year, an industry source told The Korea Herald on Monday.The carmaker has transferred the design of the scooter to its locomotive manufacturing unit, Hyundai Rotem, in preparation for mass production, according to an industry insider who declined to be named. “Rotem officials are searching for a partner here to manufacture the first batch of Ioniq scooters,” said t

Aug. 27, 2018

BMW tops list of registered imported cars amid safety scandal

German carmaker BMW ranked No. 1 among imported cars registered in South Korea, industry data showed Monday, maintaining its lead despite a string of vehicle fires that have shaken consumer confidence in the brand.According to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association and the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, there were 389,566 BMW vehicles registered in the country as of July, accounting for 19 percent of all foreign-made cars.(Yonhap)The German ca

Aug. 27, 2018

Over 2,000 BMW owners to file lawsuits against BMW, authorities

BMW Korea, the Korean importer and distributor of the German carmaker, is set to face lawsuits by more than 2,000 customers in the coming days following engine fires involving its vehicles. Law firms Bareun, You&Me and Heon said Friday they are preparing further legal action against the German carmaker and Korean authorities over increasing complaints and inconvenience due to insufficient measures after the incidents. According to Heon, some 1,500 customers have agreed to join the group lawsuit

Aug. 24, 2018

Hankook Tire signs exclusive supply deal with AMG Speedway

Korean tiremaker Hankook Tire has signed a deal with AMG Speedway run by Mercesdes-Benz Korea to exclusively supply tires for cars used at the track, the company said Thursday.The tiremaker will supply six tire products: semi-racing tires Ventus R-s4 and Ventus R-s3 as well as ultra-high performance tires Ventus S1 evo2, Ventus S2 AS, Ventus S1 evo2 SUV, and Ventus V12 evo2. (Hankook Tire)“We expect our high-performance tires made with latest technology to deliver top-notch racing performance an

Aug. 23, 2018