BMW to recall 2,100 cars in Korea over various problems

BMW Korea, the local importer and distributor of BMW cars, will recall a total of 2,100 cars sold here for various problems, including a defective oil filter casing that could allow coolant to mix with engine oil, damaging the engine, the transportation ministry said Thursday.The recall affects 1,135 units of four BMW models, including the 528i, produced between Sept. 1, 2011, and Jan. 31, 2012, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.In 965 cars of eight different BMW mo

Dec. 29, 2016

RVs account for 32% of Hyundai, Kia car sales in S. Korea

Recreational vehicles accounted for 32 percent of total car sales in South Korea by Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. for the first 11 months of this year, according to company data Sunday. Hyundai and Kia sold a total of 1,071,881 units at home during the January-November period. Of them, sales of RVs stood at 343,273 units.  Kia Motors Corp.'s Sorento SUV (Yonhap file photo)Sales of RVs by Hyundai and Kia at home jumped 67.6 percent to 378,114 units last year, from 225,664 u

Dec. 25, 2016

Hyundai Motor to face rise of Japanese rivals next year

The global auto market next year is expected to see the rise of Japanese carmakers, taking advantage of a cheaper yen and a transition to a new modular platform aimed at producing better cars at lower costs, a Hyundai Motor executive said Thursday.Park Hong-jae, vice president of Hyundai Motor’s global economic institute was referring to Toyota New Global Architecture, a platform sharing strategy designed to lower the production costs and enhance the quality of engine and power trains instead. T

Dec. 22, 2016

Renault’s Korean unit to lead SUV development

Renault Samsung Motors, the South Korean unit of French carmaker Renault S.A., will be fully in charge of the research and development of new sport utility vehicles for the Renault group, the company said Thursday.  Renault Samsung mid-sized SUV QM6 (Renault Samsung)The decision follows the success of the mid-size SUV QM6 which sold more than 10,000 units in Korea since its launch in September. QM6, also known as the Koleos overseas, was developed by the Renault Samsung Technical Center in Yongi

Dec. 22, 2016

Hyundai’s Xcient picked ‘Truck of the Year’ in China

Hyundai Motor’s heavy-duty truck Xcient won the “Truck of the Year 2017” award from a Chinese auto magazine, beating European and Japanese carmakers , the company said Thursday.Xcient is a two-engine luxury truck manufactured in a commercial vehicle plant in Ziyuan, Sichuan province. Hyundai was named the top in the award’s tractor category for the second consecutive year.“Xcient is the best big truck that is luxury and sophisticated outside and more silent inside than other competitors,” said C

Dec. 22, 2016

Hyundai Motor's US chief quits over missed sales target

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker, said Thursday that the chief of its US operations has resigned.The automaker did not provide reasons for Dave Zuchowski's resignation, only saying W. Gerald Flannery, an executive vice president of Hyundai Motor America, will be working as an interim chief until Zuchowski's successor is named."A search for Zuchowski's replacement will begin immediately," the company said in a press release."We appreciate Dave's decade of service to Hyundai, esp

Dec. 22, 2016

GM Korea, Ford Korea to recall more than 9,000 cars

More than 9,000 cars sold by GM Korea and Ford Sales & Service Korea will be recalled due to mechanical problems, the Transport Ministry said Wednesday. GM Korea, the South Korean unit of US carmaker General Motors, will recall 4,330 units of its minitruck Labo and 4,202 Damas minivans produced between Nov. 24, 2015 and Nov. 21, 2016, due to defective fuses that could interrupt fuel injection, causing the car to lose power, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. Free repa

Dec. 21, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hyundai Motor tests strength in autonomous cars

South Korean carmaker says it is ready to make autonomous cars commercially affordableHyundai Motor may not sound as adventurous as Elon Musk’s Tesla. But when it comes to the issue of making self-driving cars commercially affordable, the South Korean carmaker appears to have some strong points. Hyundai Motor demonstrated its technological developments in autonomous driving in Las Vegas last week, testing its strength in the mass market of future mobility. Instead of using 360-degree light detec

Dec. 20, 2016

Tivoli sales in Korea surpasses 100,000 mark

SsangYong Motor has sold its 100,000th Tivoli on home ground in the shortest span of time than any other brand it has launched, the company said Tuesday.A SsangYong sales executive (right) poses with the owner of the 100,000th Tivoli in the carmaker’s branch in Balsan Seoul, Monday. (SsangYong Motor)Tivoli, released in early 2015, is SsangYong’s first vehicle since Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group acquired the South Korean carmaker in 2011.The compact sports utility vehicle has been leading th

Dec. 20, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hyundai tests strength in autonomous cars

Hyundai Motor may not sound as adventurous as Elon Musk’s Tesla. But when it comes to the issue of making self-driving cars commercially affordable, the South Korean carmaker appears to have some strong points. Hyundai Motor demonstrated its technological developments in autonomous driving in Las Vegas last week, testing its strength in the mass market of future mobility. Instead of using 360-degree light detection and ranging sensors -- the 3-D laser scanning methods that are expensive but cent

Dec. 20, 2016

Hyundai Motor sees a boon in Europe

From news reportsHyundai Motor ranked first on a German automotive magazine’s annual quality satisfaction report for this year, the company said Sunday.South Korea’s largest carmaker grabbed the No. 1 spot with 2.14 points in terms of overall quality and customer satisfaction in the list released by Auto Bild.It is the third time for the company to secure to the top spot, following 2010 and 2011.The magazine has been releasing the quality report since 2001.Kia Motors, Hyundai’s sister company, c

Dec. 18, 2016

Hyundai, Kia warned of ‘hazardous conditions’ at US suppliers before worker's death

A worker at an Alabama plant making auto parts for Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors was crushed to death by machinery in June, several months after the automakers were warned of hazardous conditions at their suppliers.David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said in a report on the death of Regina Allen Elsea that he had visited the carmakers in South Korea in 2015 and warned top managers of safety problems at their suppliers. He cited the c

Dec. 15, 2016

‘Samsung’s Harman buy shows evolving automotive industry’

The recent acquisition of Harman International Industries by Samsung Electronics is expected to spur the global automotive industry’s move toward intelligent and connected cars, the Korean head of a leading German auto parts maker said Wednesday.“Personally, I don’t think Samsung focusing on the automotive industry is a bad idea. I rather think it is an evidence of how innovative and dynamic the industry has become,” said Robert Lee, president and CEO of Continental Automotive Korea. Continental

Dec. 14, 2016

S. Korea's auto exports may dip for 2nd year

South Korea's auto exports are widely expected to decline for the second consecutive year in 2016, affected by a production disruption caused by a string of labor disputes at major automakers and a protracted slump in the global economy, industry sources said Sunday.According to the sources, the total value of overseas auto shipments reached $36.07 billion in the first 11 months of the year, down 13 percent from $41.43 billion a year earlier.If this trend continues this month, this year's overal

Dec. 11, 2016

Korea's auto exports turn around in Nov. after 17-month lapse

South Korea's car exports turned around for the first time in 17 months in November on the back of increased production after the end of strikes at major carmakers, government data showed Thursday.The total value of overseas car shipments rebounded to rise 1.5 percent on-year to US$3.98 billion in November, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.It is the first time since June 2015 that the country's monthly auto exports have logged an on-year growth.The number of exported vehic

Dec. 8, 2016