Kia Motors' Sportage sales in Europe hit record high in March

Kia Motors, Korea's second-largest carmaker, saw its sales of the Sportage SUV in Europe hit a record high last month thanks to strong demand for its latest model, industry data showed Wednesday.According to the data, Kia Motors sold a total of 18,092 units of the Sportage in Europe in March, up 43.6 percent from year earlier. Of them, the sales of its latest fourth-generation Sportage stood at around 14,000 units. The all-new Sportage was first unveiled in September for European customers but i

April 20, 2016

Korea's exports of used cars spike over 20% in Q1

Korea's exports of used vehicles jumped over 20 percent on-year during the first quarter, helped by the weak local currency that boosted their price competitiveness in overseas markets, industry data showed Wednesday.According to the data provided by trade and automotive associations here, Korea exported 59,142 used cars during the January-March period, up 23.4 percent from the same period a year earlier. Of the total, 42,352 units were passenger vehicles, while the remainder was trucks and othe

April 20, 2016

Hyundai, Cisco team up on connected cars

South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor and American tech giant Cisco Systems have agreed to cooperate on connected car technologies, the automaker said Tuesday. The announcement came as Hyundai Motor vice chairman Chung Eui-sun and Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins met in Seoul to discuss the two firms’ future smart car business.   Hyundai Motor vice chairman Chung Eui-sun (third from left) and Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins (fourth from left) pose after a meeting at the carmaker’s headqua

April 19, 2016

[Photo News] Nissan rolls-out new mid-size sedan

NISSAN UNVEILS NEW MIDSIZE SEDAN -- Nissan Korea unveiled its new midsize sedan All-New Altima, which has a combined fuel efficiency of 13.3 kilometers per liter, in Seoul on Tuesday. The price of the new sedan starts from 29.9 million won ($26,270). (Nissan Korea)

April 19, 2016

Kumho Tire collaborates with Psy

Kumho Tire unveiled Monday its new commercial music video made in collaboration with K-pop singer Psy.The tire company said in a statement, “We have created this commercial video by combining the company’s brand slogan ‘Better, All-Ways’ with Psy’s hit music ‘Good Day Will Come.’” Still cuts of Psy’s music video made in collaboration with Kumho Tire (Kumho Tire)The video, which was made to raise the company’s brand profile through music, was unveiled on YouTube channels and China’s media platfor

April 18, 2016

Will Ssangyong’s Tivoli appeal to Chinese consumers?

Ssangyong Motor plans to beef up sales marketing in China as part of efforts to diversify its global client base after struggling from weak sales in Russia – its main importer – due to economic recession and a weak ruble. The Korean unit of Indian auto giant Mahindra & Mahindra said on Monday the firm would start sales of its new mid-size SUV Tivoli Air in China (XLV in global market)  after unveiling it at the Auto China 2016 in Beijing next week. Tivoli Air of sangyong Motor “With a more enhan

April 18, 2016

Hyundai, Kia to recall 28,954 Sonata, K5, K7 sedans

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, Korea's leading automakers, are recalling a combined 14,926 passenger cars for problems with their steering and lighting systems, the transport ministry said Monday.Hyundai's YF Sonata and Kia's K5 mid-sized sedans were found to have glitches in the electronic control unit of the steering system that could lead to a short circuit when it's raining, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.The problem has been detected in 7,794 YF Sonatas produ

April 18, 2016

Carmakers resurrect old cars

Carmakers that do business in Korea are pushing customer programs related to classic cars in a bid to increase customer satisfaction and boost car sales. German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is leading the trend. It has launched a restoration program for old cars under the slogan “Could after sales service also evoke memories?” as part of its customer service efforts. During the 2016 Service Experience Day event, held last Friday at its new service center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the compan

April 17, 2016

Volvo returns to safety legacy for new car sales

Volvo Cars is seeking to restore its reputation for car safety with its new high-end XC90 sport utility vehicle in Korea, a global battlefield for luxury cars. Last Thursday, the Korean unit of the Swedish luxury carmaker hosted a seminar with a safety specialist from its headquarters to elaborate on the safety features of the new XC90.  Dr. Lotta Jakobsson, a senior technical specialist on injury prevention at Volvo Cars, presents the booster seat of Volvo’s all-new XC90 as an example of car sa

April 17, 2016

Hyundai, Kia's sales top 100 million units

The accumulated sales of Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. have reached over 100 million units this week, company officials said Saturday, a feat achieved in less time than most other global automakers.The combined accumulated sales of the country's two leading auto companies reached over 100 million cars as of Friday, according to the officials.Together, the two automakers make up Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest producer of vehicles by sales. The achiev

April 16, 2016

Kia Motors to showcase Niro hybrid SUV at Beijing motor show

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's No. 2 carmaker, said Friday that it plans to showcase its Niro hybrid SUV at a motor show to be held in China later this month in a bid to test customer response ahead of its official launch there.The Niro crossover SUV will be displayed at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, which kicks off on April 25, according to the company. The Niro is to be launched in China in October.  (Yonhap)Kia Motors' first hybrid SUV whose production is based on its own

April 15, 2016

Impala sedan production sparks GM labor dispute

Whether to import the popular Impala sedan or manufacture it at home is becoming a seed of labor dispute between GM Korea‘s management and its union.Last week, the Korean unit of U.S. General Motors decided to continue importing Chevrolet’s premium sedan Impala instead of producing them here.But the automaker’s labor union said in its statement that the management’s decision is tantamount to breaking trust between labor and management, warning that the company “will have to pay a huge price for

April 14, 2016

Luxury German car sales hit record high of W8.8tr in 2015

Sales of three luxury German carmakers -- Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi --set a record high of 8.8 trillion won ($7.6 billion) in sales last year, exceeding the combined figures of three smaller Korean automakers, excluding Hyundai and Kia, company data showed Thursday. Among foreign car brands here, sales of Mercedes-Benz were tops last year, soaring up to a record high of 3.1 trillion won in 2015, a 42.5 percent increase from a year ago.BMW and Audi followed with a 2.88 trillion won and 2.8 tril

April 14, 2016

Volkswagen urged to disclose code of engine control units

Law firm Barun urged Volkswagen Korea to disclose the source code of engine control units in its cars Tuesday, claiming that its recall plan has problems.On behalf of 4,338 customers who bought Volkswagen cars, the local law firm is currently leading a class-action suit against the German carmaker involved in an emissions manipulation scandal. Local law firm Barun lawyer Ha Jong-sun speaks during the press conference. (Barun)Speaking at a news conference in Seoul, Barun lawyer Ha Jong-sun said t

April 12, 2016

[Newsmaker] Hyundai close to 100m sales landmark

April will be a landmark month for the global success of Hyundai Motor Group as its cumulative global sales is poised to surpass 100 million units. The Korean automotive giant said Monday that the combined global sales of its two automakers -- Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors -- reached 99.7 million units in March, and is expected to cross the 100-million mark this month. “Few automakers in the world have achieved such a sales record in the global market,’’ said Kim Pil-soo, an automotive engineerin

April 11, 2016

GM Korea posts record net loss in 2015

GM Korea, the Korean unit of General Motors, posted a record net loss of 986.8 billion won ($861.2 million) in 2015, the worst business performance since its launch in 2002 here, according to industry sources Monday. The net loss is 2.8 times higher than that of 2014. GM Korea cars wait to be loaded for shipment to overseas market in Korea. (Yonhap)It also registered 594.4 billion won in operating loss on annual revenue of 11.94 trillion won last year, four times more than that of 2014.“The pull

April 11, 2016

Ssangyong Motor's Tivoli Air sales top 5,000 units

Ssangyong Motor, owned by India's auto giant Mahindra & Mahindra, said Monday that sales of the recently unveiled Tivoli Air have surpassed 5,000 units in just a month since its official launch.The Tiovli Air is a long-body version of its popular Tivoli crossover sport utility vehicle, boasting more luggage room. It was launched on March 8. Ssangyong Motor's Tivoli Air (Yonhap)As of Friday, accumulative sales of the Tivoli Air have reached about 5,100 units on a contract basis, according to Ssan

April 11, 2016

GM Korea's new Malibu to intensify competition in midsize sedan market

GM Korea's planned launch of the new Malibu next month is expected to intensify competition in the midsize sedan market here where major automakers are already clashing with their latest popular models, industry sources said Monday.The midsize sedan market here is being dominated by such popular models as Hyundai Motor's Sonata and Kia Motors's K7. Recently, Renault Samsung Motors unveiled the SM6, which has been drawing a better-than-expected market response.  GM Korea's Malibu midsize sedan (Y

April 11, 2016

Global automakers eye Korea as test bed

Heads of global carmakers are flocking to Korea recently, calling the nation’s fast-growing import car market an ideal test bed for their newest vehicles. Three chiefs of Infiniti, BMW and Volvo have chosen Seoul as the first destination for their trips to Asia this year. Last week, Roland Krueger, president of Infiniti -- the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Nissan -- visited Seoul to unveil the company’s new hatchbacks Q60 and Q30 along with Q80 Inspiration concept. It was the fir

April 10, 2016

[Photo News] BMW's new X1 model

BMW’S NEW X1 MODEL -- BMW Korea launched its new X1 xDrive 18d model this month. It has a higher fuel efficiency compared to the previous model xDrive 20d launched in February. The new BMW X1 xDrive 18d is priced from 51.4 million won ($44,606). (BMW KOREA)

April 10, 2016