SsangYong Tivoli dominating SUV market share

The 2017 SsangYong Motor Tivoli SUV (SsangYong Motor)SsangYong Motor’s Tivoli SUV is continuing to dominate the domestic SUV market despite increased competition, selling 56,935 units last year, the company said Wednesday.　Competing against GM Korea’s Chevrolet Trax, Kia’s Niro and Renault Samsung’s QM3, SsangYong’s Tivoli is still holding strong, currently accounting for 54.3 percent of the market share. 　During January and February this year, Tivoli’s market share reached 60.4 percent. 　The Ti

March 22, 2017

Beijing Hyundai begins sales of All New Yuedong

Beijing Hyundai began its sales of the All New Yuedong on Monday, targeting the market for young families in China. The English name of the model is “Celesta.”The launch event took place simultaneously in six cities, including Beijing and Guangzhou. Beijing Hyundai’s All New Yuedong begis its sales in China on Monday. (Hyundai Motor)“The All New Yuedong is an economic family sedan with both marketability and price competence, specially catered for the Chinese market,” said CEO of BHMC Chang Won-

March 21, 2017

Volvo Korea unveils Cross Country crossover

Volvo Korea introduced its latest Cross Country luxury crossover Tuesday, completing its 90 series with a cross between a standard four-door sedan and a SUV. 　The 90 series already includes the S90 midsized sedan and the XC-90 luxury sport utility vehicle. The new Cross Country is intended to act as an amalgamation of the two vehicle models.  Volvo Korea unveils its new Cross Country crossover SUV, the final addition to its 90 series, which also includes a midsized sedan and standard SUV. (Volvo

March 21, 2017

Mixed reaction to Tesla Korea’s debut

The opening of two Tesla Korea stores last week after months of delay was very much highlighted by the media and industry watchers here.Boasting the Tesla Model S 90D, the first local store of the US-based electric car giant opened in Starfield Hanam, a mega shopping complex, on Wednesday, followed by another one in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, Friday. The Tesla Korea store in Chungdam-dong, southern Seoul. (Yonhap)On Friday, avid fans and related officials visited the Cheongdam store to catch a glimp

March 20, 2017

Lamborghini Korea introduces new Huracan Spyder

One of the newest additions to the Lamborghini family, the new rear-wheel drive Huracan Spyder, is now being introduced to the Korean market after it was unveiled to the world for the first time in November. 　Lamborghini Korea unveiled the company’s latest luxury sports vehicle model during a media open house event Monday. The company will be offering a test-driving event for three days for prospective customers starting Tuesday. 　The Spyder convertible is in keeping with the luxury car brand’s

March 20, 2017

Kia sells 100 units of EVs to 'carbon-free' resort island

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's No. 2 carmaker, announced Monday it has sold 100 units of its electric vehicle to a car rental company based on the small resort island of Udo.The carmaker said it has shipped 100 units of the Soul EV, the electrified edition of the popular box-typed vehicle, to the scenic island located just east of Jeju Island. The Soul EV is stopped on a road on Udo, an island located near the southern resort island of Jeju, on March 20, 2017, in this photo released by Kia Moto

March 20, 2017

Diesel, petrol cars vie for bigger piece of import car market

Diesel cars are locked in a tight race with gasoline-powered models for a bigger slice of South Korea's imported vehicle market as diesel cars increasingly lose favor with local motorists following "dieselgate" in 2015, data showed Monday.According to the industry data, 8,058 imported gasoline cars were sold in January, compared with sales of 7,147 diesel vehicles. Mercedes-Benz' the new E300 sedan (Mercedes-Benz)It marked the first time in four and a half years that sales of gasoline vehicles o

March 20, 2017

[KH explains] Why Korea is land of white cars

From parking lots to freeways, the diversity of car colors seems to be widely lacking and monotonous in South Korea. Whether a Korean resident or simply visiting, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone able to claim the country’s streets are flush with color. At times it may even seem like the only pop of color on the road comes from the fleet of orange city taxis.“I have noticed that the cars here, in way of color scheme, are white, black or a dark silver,” said 27-year-old Jeffrey Masson, an

March 19, 2017

GM Korea begins taking orders for Bolt EV before April launch

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of US automaker General Motors Co., on Friday began taking pre-orders for its new Bolt Electric Vehicle ahead of its scheduled local debut next month.The Bolt EV comes in four different colors and has a starting price of 47.79 million won ($42,325), but government incentives of up to 26 million won will bring the price down to less than 22 million won, making it one of the most affordable green cars now available, the company said in a press release. The Bolt

March 17, 2017

Expo kicks off to discuss future of EVs

An annual gathering of carmakers, business leaders and experts on electric cars kicks off its six-day run in the nation’s southern resort island of Jeju on Friday, testing the future of carbon-free technology on the road.The fourth International Electric Vehicle Expo displays and discusses the technologies of pure electric vehicles. A total of 155 companies are participating in the event that takes place at the Yeomiji Botanic Garden of Jungmun Resort in Jeju, organizers said. Lee Kwang-guk, exe

March 16, 2017

VW Korea promotes higher customer service through ‘We Care’ campaign

Volkswagen Korea has been promoting the “We Care” campaign since last month, offering superior customer services to its longtime customers to reinforce customer relations, the company said Thursday.　The We Care campaign began on Feb. 20 with the initiative of providing care services that focuses on people first. These include enhancing customer relations with multiple digital communication and consulting platforms as well as matching professionally-trained service personnel with customers for hi

March 16, 2017

Auto production rises on strong demand for eco-friendly, luxury cars abroad

South Korea's automobile production surged in February amid strong demand for eco-friendly and luxury vehicles both at home and abroad, government data showed Wednesday.Automobile output rose 9.8 percent to 336,032 units last month from a year earlier, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Exports jumped 5.3 percent to 201,757 units in February from the same period last year.The value of automobiles shipped abroad also climbed 9.6 percent to $3.28 billion

March 15, 2017

Kumho Tire unveils premium tires with enhanced performance

Kumho Tire on Wednesday unveiled two premium tire products designed for sports utility and high-performance vehicles. It is the company’s first release of new products for passenger vehicles in three years.The Crugen HP71 is a high performance SUV tire designed for stable driving in cities, while Ecsta PS71 is designed to offer a safer ride for muscle cars, the company explained during the unveiling held at a seminar of branch owners in Daejeon. Kumho Tire CEO Lee Han-seob (right) poses at the l

March 15, 2017

Tesla opens first showroom in Korea

Tesla Korea, the local distributor of Tesla cars, opened its first showroom in South Korea on Wednesday, offering a chance for local customers to see and experience its advanced electric vehicles.The first Tesla showroom opened at a shopping mall in Hanam, a city located just east of Seoul.The Tesla Model S 90D is on display at Tesla's Cheongdam showroom in Seoul. (Yonhap)All visitors can see firsthand the US carmaker's vehicle models, while those who make prior reservations will be given a chan

March 15, 2017

Intel’s blockbuster $15.3 billion acquisition of Mobileye

US-based chipmaker Intel has agreed to purchase Mobileye, an Israeli tech company that develops vision-based driver assistance systems, for $15.3 billion in a bid to gain a foothold in the growing market of autonomous driving technology, the firm said Tuesday. The chipmaker announced Monday it will acquire Mobileye for $63.54 per share, a 34 percent premium to Mobileye’s closing price Friday.The blockbuster deal marks Israel’s biggest acquisition, and Intel’s second-largest after its $16.7 billi

March 14, 2017

Tesla Korea opens first showroom Wednesday

Tesla will officially launch its operations in South Korea on Wednesday, opening its first showroom at the Starfield Hanam shopping complex in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province.　While customers cannot actually purchase vehicles at the showroom, visitors can inspect a display model of the company’s S 90D luxury vehicle, which will be the first model introduced to the Korean market. Vehicles can only be purchased through the company’s website, which allows for the customization of each vehicle. 　Shortly fo

March 14, 2017

Imported commercial vehicle sales reach 323 in Feb.

A total of 323 imported trucks and other commercial vehicles were sold here last month, marking a sharp drop from a month earlier, data showed Tuesday.The February tally marked a 25.4-percent plunge from 433 units sold in January, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association. (Yonhap)No comparable data was available from the previous year as KAIDA began compiling such data at the beginning of this year.By brand, Volvo Trucks topped the list with 133 vehi

March 14, 2017

SUV market seems saturated amid record sales in recent years

Sales of sports utility vehicles that rose sharply in South Korea over the past few years are showing signs of market saturation, industry data showed Tuesday.SUV sales surged to 454,669 units last year, up from 452,200 the previous year, according to figures from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.The 2016 figure represents a pronounced increase from 243,906 in 2010.The number of vehicles sold last year accounts for 33.8 percent of total passenger cars sold that reached 1,343,379 un

March 14, 2017

Maybach Korea’s Songdo project faces delay over scandal

A plan to build the world’s first business center from ultra-luxury German carmaker Maybach in Songdo, west of Seoul, is facing possible delays over a political scandal the company has denied any involvement in.Maybach Korea, a local office of Daimler Group, has been facing market speculations that the project may have been consulted with by a close friend to Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the center of the influence-peddling scandal that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye. An

March 13, 2017

Hyundai Motor wins two iF Design Awards

Promotional image for Hyundai Motor’s home charging system for the Ioniq Electric. (Hyundai Motor Company)　Hyundai Motor has won two product design awards at this year’s annual 2017 iF Design Awards ceremony for its new typeface, “Hyundai Sans,” and the Ioniq Electric vehicle’s home charging system, the company said Monday.  　Germany’s iF Design Awards competition is judged by a panel of some 60 international experts in the fields of design, industry and architecture. This year’s winners’ ceremo

March 13, 2017