Hyundai Motor delays China launch of Sonata hybrid amid THAAD row

South Korea's leading automaker Hyundai Motor Co. has reportedly postponed the launch of its Sonata plug-in hybrid in China by nearly a year, company official said Wednesday, due to what many believe is China's trade retaliation against the planned deployment of a US air missile defense system to South Korea.The new Sonata plug-in was originally expected to be introduced in the Chinese market in April. The Hyundai Sonata plug-in hybrid (Hyundai Motor)Company officials said the car will likely be

Feb. 8, 2017

Volkswagen Korea customers reject recall

Hundreds of Audi Volkswagen Korea customers are refusing to comply with the local auto distributors’ recall measures for its illegally faked emissions vehicles, according to the law firm Barun Law LLC. 　Last month, the Korean government announced it had approved Volkswagen’s first round of recall plans for 27,000 Tiguan SUVs to begin on Monday. 　However, following the recall approval, 610 Tiguan owners filed a law suit with the administrative court against the Ministry of Environment last month

Feb. 7, 2017

Benz’s imported auto market share reach 41%

German auto giant Mercedes-Benz sold 6,848 cars domestically last month, marking a 59.3 percent on-year spike, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said on Monday. 　Mercedes-Benz Korea’s market share among the imported cars has also reached 41 percent last month, up more than 14 percent from the same month last year. 　Mercedes-Benz Korea has been showing phenomenal growth in the domestic import cars market in recent years, selling more than 2 million units for the first time

Feb. 6, 2017

Korea’s green car market small, but growing fast

South Korea’s eco-friendly car market is continuing its rapid growth as the number of the country’s green cars increased by 63.9 percent from 2015 to 2016, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said Monday. 　Despite still lagging severely behind the Chinese, US and European markets, the local hybrid and electric market sold a total of 68,774 eco-friendly cars last year, compared to 41,956 the previous year. The increase was the highest proportional rise worldwide. 　Sales of h

Feb. 6, 2017

Kia’s China sales plummet 38.9% last month

The nation’s No. 2 carmaker Kia Motors saw its sales in China plummet 38.9 percent last month, according to company and industry sources on Sunday. 　Kia Motors said it sold 30,800 units to its Chinese factory in January, down 18,459 vehicles compared to the 49,259 units sold during the same month last year. Retail sales have also dropped 13.1 percent. 　According to news reports, a number of industry insiders suspect the slump in sales is linked to Chinese dealers demanding Kia compensate them fo

Feb. 5, 2017

Imported truck sales hit record 75.8% jump last year

Imported trucks celebrated a record year last year, seeing a 75.8 percent spike in sales from 2015, according the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. 　Non-domestic truck sales stood a 7,726 units in 2016 compared to the previous year’s 4,396 units, KAMA’s data showed Sunday. 　Following the enactment of the Korea-EU and Korea-US free trade agreements in 2011 and 2012, respectively, tariffs on imported vehicles have been removed, sparking an increase in competition and demand in the domest

Feb. 5, 2017

Kia Motors suffers 38.9% plunge in January sales in China

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest carmaker, saw its sales in China last month plunge 38.9 percent on month, amid a dispute with some of its Chinese dealers over inventory, according to company and industry sources on Sunday. Kia's sales fell to 30,080 units in January in China, from 49,259 units in December last year.  This photo shows Kia Motors Corp.'s KX7 sport-utility vehicle. (Kia Motors)Industry sources suggested that Kia may seek to reduce its unsold cars before it begins sel

Feb. 5, 2017

Ministry recalls 19 international car models

A total of 5,204 vehicles across 19 different non-domestic car models are being recalled by local distributors of brands including Honda, Nissan, Land Rover and Maserati, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Thursday.Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will be initiating a combined recall of 3,565 vehicles from four different models.  (Yonhap)Honda Korea will recall 1,407 Accords that are equipped with Takata air bags, which have led to fatal accidents in other countries beca

Feb. 2, 2017

Mercedes-Benz takes students to German headquarters

Select students of Mercedes-Benz’s Mobile Academy visit the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. (Mercedes-Benz Korea)Select students from the annual Mercedes-Benz Mobile Academy won the opportunity to visit the luxury auto giant’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, the company said Tuesday. 　The Mobile Academy is an industry-academy joint project run by the carmaker, aimed to nurture and develop students looking to pursue a career in the automotive industry. 　Fifteen students were

Feb. 1, 2017

Hyundai Motor's downturn takes toll on suppliers

Hyundai Motor Group headquarters in Seocho, southern Seoul (Yonhap)A six-year low operating profit posted by Hyundai Motor in 2016 had a negative domino effect on the overall performance of related affiliates dependent on South Korea’s largest auto firm, company data showed Tuesday. The suppliers’ heavy reliance on Hyundai Motor had exposed them to greater risk of being affected by the auto firm’s disappointing yearly outcome, industry experts said.Hyundai Motor posted an operating profit of 5.1

Jan. 31, 2017

Domestic car production reaches 6-year low, overseas numbers rise

Domestic automobile production saw a 7.2 percent decrease last year compared to 2015, marking the lowest production rate for local automakers in six years, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.　Seven domestic automakers -- Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Ssangyong Motor, Renault Samsung Motors, Daewoo Bus and Tata Daewoo -- manufactured a combined total of roughly 4.23 million units in Korea last year, down 330,000 vehicles. 　The decline in domestic production is wide

Jan. 31, 2017

Car keys are getting smarter

　It has been roughly a decade since smart keys first appeared in Korea, allowing drivers to lock and unlock their car door via the press of a button. However, with the advent of smart technology, industry insiders are expecting car keys to make even more significantly high-tech strides by 2020. 　Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. revealed late last month that it is currently developing a wrist-band-type smart key for the first time in the local automotive industry. The smart device is e

Jan. 30, 2017

Hyundai Motor’s profit lowest in 7 years

Hyundai Motor, the nation’s biggest carmaker, posted an operating profit of 5.19 trillion won ($4.45 billion) last year, the lowest since 2010 when the carmaker started to comply with international financial reporting standards.The carmaker, in a regulatory filing Wednesday, also posted a net profit of 5.76 trillion won, a 12.1 percent decrease from 6.51 trillion won in the previous year. (Yonhap)For the entire year, Hyundai’s sales grew 1.8 percent on-year to 93.65 trillion won, selling a total

Jan. 25, 2017

Volvo’s new leasing offer looks to make S90 ‘affordable’

Volvo Korea has launched the new D4 model of its flagship S90 series, the company said Wednesday, touting the vehicle as one of the country’s most reasonably priced and affordable luxury sedans. 　Offered in both “Momentum” entry-level and “Inscription” trim, the 2017 D4 is priced at 59.9 million won ($51,400) and 66.9 million won, respectively, including taxes. 　In comparison, in Korea the Mercedes E-Class series runs anywhere from 60.9 million won to 98.7 million won, while Ford’s newly release

Jan. 25, 2017

Automakers to offer free inspection services for Lunar New Year

The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association announced Tuesday that it will offer free inspection services by five automakers during the Lunar New Year holiday this weekend.　From Thursday to Sunday, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and Ssangyong Motors will offer their customers vehicle inspection services free of charge at 22 participating highway rest stops and 48 service centers nationwide. 　The services will be offered at northbound rest stops on Thursday and Fri

Jan. 24, 2017

Honda Korea releases new, smarter Pilot SUV

　Honda Korea has launched sales of its latest SUV model, the New Pilot 2017, less than a week after unveiling its new Accord Hybrid, the company announced Monday. 　“There continues to be growing interest … in the Pilot series because of its design, safety and space utilization, especially in a consumer culture of meticulous comparison that focuses on safety and fuel efficiency,” said Honda Korea CEO Chung Woo-young, in the company’s press release Monday.Honda Korea releases its “New Pilot 2017”

Jan. 24, 2017

Hyundai Motor develops heat resistant catalyst

Hyundai, Kia Motors researchers examine the catalyst used in a device that reduces gas emissions. (Hyundai, Kia Motors)Hyundai and Kia Motors, South Korea’s two biggest auto manufacturers, succeeded in developing a catalyst that can withstand heat of up to 900 degrees Celsius, the firm said Monday. “The latest research is meaningful in that we can now spearhead the transformation of the internal combustion engine to an eco-friendly one with self-developed air purification technology,” a company

Jan. 23, 2017

Smarter and safer: all-new BMW 5 Series to hit Korean market in February

The seventh-generation all-new 5 Series sedan is set to be launched next month. (BMW Korea)German premium brand BMW is ready to roll out here next month its latest model, the new BMW 5 Series sedan equipped with a slew of high-tech features, the carmaker’s Seoul unit said Sunday.The seventh-generation all-new 5 Series is a redesigned version of the premium business sedan BMW 5 Series, which has sold over 7.6 million units worldwide since its first release in 1972, BMW Korea said.One distinct fea

Jan. 22, 2017

Hyundai’s Chung Eui-sun attends World Economic Forum

Hyundai Motor Company Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun attended this year’s 2017 World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland from Jan. 17 to 20. 　Chung joined in on key sessions with the forum’s automotive committee, sharing his analysis of some of the industry’s top trends, including eco-friendly cars and autonomous vehicles, according to a press statement released by Hyundai on Thursday. 　The vice chairman reportedly met privately with CEOs of major global automakers, gauging future automotive

Jan. 19, 2017

VW prepares for next recall, apologizes to Korean consumers

Following Volkswagen’s emissions scandal in Korea that resulted in an order to recall 27,000 Tiguan SUVs starting next month, the Ministry of Environment announced Thursday that VW’s next recall plan involves roughly 15,000 CC mid-size sedans. 　According to the ministry, the German carmaker is currently negotiating the terms of the recall. The measure is expected to be approved by the ministry sometime in the middle of next month. 　Approximately 126,000 VW vehicles in Korea are expected to be re

Jan. 19, 2017