Hyundai to link 5 cities as innovation hubs

ORANGE COUNTY, California -- From Silicon Valley to Tel Aviv and Seoul, South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Group plans to establish five innovation hubs in cities spanning the globe and link them as one sharing platform to drive dynamic growth. The carmaker opened Hyundai Cradle in Silicon Valley in November to support startups and discover future mobility technology. And it plans to open four more such centers, in Seoul, Tel Aviv, Berlin and Beijing within this year. “Cradle” stands for Cent

Jan. 8, 2018

Hyundai promotes ex-BMW engineer to president

Hyundai Motor Group promoted Albert Biermann, vice president of the carmaker’s performance development division, to a president-level post, recognizing his role in enhancing the driving dynamics of its luxury brand Genesis on par with other premium carmakers, the company said Friday.  Albert Biermann (Hyundai Motor)Biermann is the second foreign expert to be named as a president, after the South Korean carmaker appointed Peter Schreyer, former Audi designer, as the president of Hyundai-Kia desig

Jan. 5, 2018

[Herald Interview] Racing toward a greener future

It might look like any other Formula 1 racing car. But Mahindra’s Formula E vehicle, an electric racing car, is not just made for sports. It’s a moving lab for the Indian automaker that is betting big on green cars for the future.Mahindra Racing, a racing car team under the Indian conglomerate, is one of the 10 founding teams of Formula E, a class of auto racing that uses cars powered only by electricity.Touted as being green and entertaining, the Indian company has joined the Formula E series w

Jan. 5, 2018

Hyundai, Aurora to commercialize level 4 self-driving system by 2021

Hyundai Motor has partnered with the US startup Aurora, which develops sensors and software for autonomous vehicles, with a plan to commercialize a level-four self-driving system by 2021, the South Korean carmaker said Thursday.Hyundai MotorThis is the first partnership that Hyundai has formed for the development of a self-driving system, marking a shift in the company’s previous strategy of developing the system on its own, officials said.The project between the two will be announced at the Con

Jan. 4, 2018

Hyundai’s skyscraper faces hurdle over flight safety

The construction of Hyundai Motor’s 596-meter Global Business Center in southern Seoul has run into a new problem with the Ministry of National Defense raising safety concerns.Talks between the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Defense Ministry over whether to conduct flight safety and radio wave evaluations of the 105-story building took place earlier this week, the government said Thursday.The latest discussion was arranged by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to address c

Jan. 4, 2018

SsangYong aims to take over minivan market with upgraded model

SsangYong Motor, the local unit of India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, has released its first upgraded Korando Turismo minivan in five years to tackle the Korean market, the company said Wednesday.“The new Korando Turismo comes with a SUV-like design, equipped with enhanced smart features to satisfy drivers,” said Lee Seok-woo, a marketing manager at SsangYong Motor, during an unveiling event in eastern Seoul.“We plan to tackle the local minivan market through active promotional events.” SsangYong Moto

Jan. 3, 2018

Korean car-sharing service enters Malaysia

Socar, operator of a South Korean vehicle-sharing app, has entered Malaysia, seeking to expand into Southeast Asian countries, the company said Wednesday.This marks the first time that a Korean ride-sharing service has ventured overseas.“There is high growth potential for car-sharing in Malaysia, where car-sharing is a rather unfamiliar service. Like Korea, the population density in Malaysia is very high,” Socar said in a statement.Socar has set up 120 Socar zones and is offering some 240 vehicl

Jan. 3, 2018

Hyundai, Kia set modest sales goal for 2018

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors set their combined sales target for this year at 7.55 million units on strengthened regional management and new models released, the company said Tuesday. By company, Hyundai Motor will aim to sell 701,000 vehicles at home and 3.9 million overseas, totaling 4.6 million units worldwide, according to the Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer service under the Financial Supervisory Service. Kia Motors has set its goal at 2.8 million vehicles worldwide by selling 520,000

Jan. 2, 2018

Demand rises for certified pre-owned import cars

A recent trend in South Korea’s auto industry is the rise in demand for pre-owned vehicles certified by import carmakers largely due to surging overall sales of the sector.Certified pre-owned vehicles are used vehicle that have been inspected, approved and guaranteed by the manufacturer, and the concept has worked to break the stigma of poor quality attached to used cars, boosting popularity of such vehicles here. “As import car sales continue to increase, more import carmakers will start CPO pr

Jan. 1, 2018

Hyundai annual reshuffle puts emphasis on R&D

Amid company restructuring led by creditors, Kumho Tire has officially separated from Kumho Asiana Group, the company said Friday.“Based on the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act, Kumho Tire has become a separate affiliate from Kumho Asiana Group,” the company said.The tire maker had filed for separation from Kumho Asiana Group to the Fair Trade Commission last month.Kumho Tire has also postponed wage and allowance payments for December, according to a notice sent by Kumho Tire Chairman Kim

Dec. 29, 2017

Hyundai Motor, foreign brands ordered to recall nearly 1m vehicles: ministry

Hyundai Motor Co. and several foreign automakers will voluntarily recall nearly one million vehicles to fix faulty parts, the transport ministry said Thursday.Hyundai Motor's recall -- set to begin on Jan. 4 -- affects 510,265 units of the Sonata NF built between Jan. 5, 2004 and Dec. 12, 2013, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.The ministry said 405,018 units of Grandeur TG sedans produced between Sept. 23, 2004 and Dec. 10, 2010 are also subject to the voluntary recall mov

Dec. 28, 2017

Korea introduces driver’s license test for hearing impaired

The state-run Korea Road Traffic Authority (KoROAD) has introduced a driving test that uses a head-up display for the hearing impaired, it said Tuesday. The head-up display, or HUD, refers to technology that projects navigation information onto the windshield. It is often installed in vehicles to boost driver’s safety and convenience.Before the introduction of the latest system, a tester seated on the passenger seat had to manually give directions to a hearing-impaired applicant, KoROAD said.  A

Dec. 27, 2017

[Best Brand] Land Rover Korea expands presence in SUV market

Land Rover Korea is poised to top the country’s sport utility vehicle market based on its unique driving performance and luxury brand image.Rapidly expanding its presence, the SUV powerhouse ranked No. 3 among import carmakers by monthly sales this September, selling 1,323 units. Riding on the popularity of its all-new Discovery premium family SUV and the Range Rover Velar midsize SUV released this summer, as well as the steady-selling Discovery Sports midsize SUV, Land Rover Korea has sold 9,28

Dec. 27, 2017

SsangYong Motor re-enters Sudan after 8 years

SsangYong Motor, the local unit of India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, will start 2018 by re-entering the lucrative Sudanese market after eight years, seeking to expand its market share in Africa, the company said Friday. The decision came after the US lifted economic sanctions against Sudan in October 2016 after some 20 years.Starting with the Korando Sports pickup truck, which will go be called Actyon Sports there, and the Korando Turismo multipurpose vehicle, the company plans to export some 2,400 u

Dec. 22, 2017

[Behind the Wheel] Ioniq PHEV exciting and stable

The eco-friendly compact sedan Ioniq plug-in hybrid electric vehicle does not have a sporty look. Yet, it is far more exciting to drive than expected.A latecomer to the green movement, Hyundai Motor released three different versions of Ioniq. The Ioniq PHEV, tested by the Korea Herald for three days last week, is the latest in the Ioniq series targeted at mass consumers. After three consecutive days of traveling nearly 200 kilometers, the Ioniq PHEV showed fuel economy of 18.7 kilometers per lit

Dec. 22, 2017

Hyundai completes development of voice-recognition assistant

Hyundai Motor has completed the development of a voice-recognition personal assistant jointly developed with a US tech company, and will adopt the service in cars to be released in 2019, the company said Thursday.The voice-recognition platform called Intelligent Personal Agent controls in-car systems and features, and provides information for drivers on a real-time basis, the company said in a statement.The South Korean carmaker will unveil the connected car service at the Consumer Electronics S

Dec. 21, 2017

Hyundai Mobis developing tech preventing accidents from drowsy driving

Hyundai Mobis is developing a driverless system that would direct the vehicle to a safe area when it senses the driver dozing off, the company said Thursday.The system named departed driver rescue and exit maneuver, or DDREM, takes full control of the steering wheel when it determines that the driver is incapable of driving and leads the vehicle to the nearest road shoulder or resting area. The company aims to fully develop it by 2021, after introducing it at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las

Dec. 21, 2017

Lexus Korea releases flagship premium hybrid

Lexus Korea released the LS 500h flagship premium hybrid sedan Wednesday in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. The premium carmaker introduced the fifth-generation model at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It took 11 years to design the fully changed LS 500h.The company highlighted during a press launch that it represents the new segment that has combined premium and hybrid models. The LS 500h flagship premium hybrid sedan (Lexus Korea)The automaker’s flagship models have been targeting the small yet lucrati

Dec. 20, 2017

G4 Rexton takes lead in large SUV market

SsangYong Motor’s G4 Rexton led the growth of the large sport utility vehicle segment in South Korea this year, according to market data Tuesday.As of October, a total of 77,516 units of large SUVs were sold, a 29 percent increase from last year, according to data compiled by the Korean Automobile Manufacturers Association. SsangYong`s Rexton G4 (SsangYong Motor)Since its debut in May, more than 13,000 units of the G4 Rexton have been sold, taking the top position in the market segment.The G4 Re

Dec. 19, 2017

Audi Volkswagen Korea prepares full-fledged comeback

In a bid to reclaim the No. 3 spot in the local auto market, Audi Volkswagen Korea, importer and distributor of the German vehicles, has signaled a comeback after a more than yearlong sales suspension resulting from the diesel gate emissions scandal.Last month, Audi Korea launched the R8 V10, a flagship high performance sports car, its first release in one year and three months since the S8 Plus sedan was rolled out in June last year. Models widely expected to be launched in early 2018 are Volks

Dec. 19, 2017