[Photo News] Kia EV9 unveiled

South Korean automaker Kia on Wednesday unveiled the official design of the Kia EV9, a large all-electric sport utility vehicle. Kia said it will release detailed information about the Kia EV9 later this month and debut the car at the upcoming Seoul Mobility Show on March 31-April l9 at Kintex in Gyeonggi Province.

March 15, 2023

Hyundai becomes world’s third-largest carmaker

Hyundai Motor Group has become the world’s third-largest carmaker in terms of sales, an impressive feat after more than two decades when, in 2000, the South Korean auto giant made it to the global top 10 list. According to its regulatory filing Wednesday, the carmaker sold a total of 6.8 million vehicles last year, the third highest after Toyota’s 14.8 million units and Volkswagen’s 8.5 million units. The sales figure outpaced Renault-Nissan Alliance's 6.2 million unit

March 15, 2023

Hyundai to acquire GM's auto plant in India

Hyundai Motor Group said Tuesday it is in the early stage of signing a deal to acquire General Motors’ car manufacturing plant in India, the world’s third-largest car market. The Indian unit of Hyundai Motor has signed a term sheet with GM to acquire its automobile plant in Talegaon, the western state of Maharashtra, India. It is the first time that the local unit is seeking an acquisition of its industry rival’s manufacturing facilities since it made foray into India in 1996.

March 14, 2023

Swing launches mobility services for foreign users

South Korean personal mobility startup Swing said Monday that it is starting services for foreign users by diversifying identity verification methods to include passports and international driving licenses. In a recent mobile application upgrade, foreign nationals living or visiting Korea can register for a membership through a simpler identification process to use the company’s mobility services using electric scooters, bicycles, or boards. Currently, the app supports Korean and English,

March 13, 2023

[Newsmaker] Hankook Tire halts fire-hit Daejeon plant

Hankook Tire and Technology has stopped production altogether at its Daejeon plant after a fire burned some of the factory buildings and left severe damage, the South Korean tire manufacturer said Monday. Although buildings in one of the two factory complexes were not damaged by the fire, a Hankook Tire official explained that the company is shutting down its operation for the day as part of safety measures. "We don't know when the plant will resume operation at the moment," the o

March 13, 2023

Ford points finger at SK On over F-150 recall

US auto giant Ford recently reiterated SK On’s battery defect in recalling 18 F-150 Lightnings that led to the production shutdown of the electric pickup trucks after a battery fire incident last month. “Ford is recalling 18 F-150 Lightnings due to a battery cell manufacturing defect, which occurred over a four-week period starting at the end of last year,” the carmaker said in a statement Friday local time. SK On is the battery supplier for the flagship model. The trucks mig

March 13, 2023

[KH Explains] Korean battery makers hint at ‘price war’ against Chinese rivals

After years of a high-pricing, premium strategy, South Korea’s top three battery makers -- LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On -- are increasingly turning their eyes to low-priced batteries in an apparent move to prevent ceding more market share to their fast-growing Chinese rivals in the soaring global electric vehicle market. SK On, a spinoff from SK Innovation, will unveil its first lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, at this week’s InterBattery trade show that kicks off

March 12, 2023

Korean auto, battery sectors brace for EU-first act

South Korean automotive and battery companies are closely monitoring the soon-to-be-unveiled European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act as the new regulation intends to strengthen the availability of critical raw materials and enhance the regional supply chain. For Korean businesses, the EU’s CRMA -- set to be made public on Tuesday -- is widely seen as the European version of the US’ Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA, which was signed into law by the Biden administration in Au

March 10, 2023

Hyundai Motor sets ambitious goals to beef up domestic output

Hyundai Motor Co. on Thursday laid out its goals to ramp up domestic production and exports to the highest figures since the COVID-19 pandemic began three years ago, showing the auto giant’s willingness to overcome various economic and geographical uncertainties. The record-high targets were announced as President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the automaker’s Ulsan plant. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun accompanied Yoon as the president toured the automaker’s plant. Ac

March 9, 2023

Bentley unveils first luxury showroom in Seoul

Bentley Motors said Wednesday it has opened Bentley Cube, its first high-end retail showroom, in South Korea, catering to the fast-growing number of luxury customers craving exclusive experiences. Located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, the four-story flagship shop offers a private space for Bentley customers to enjoy the brand’s bespoke luxury lifestyle. “Korea is a leading country in luxury sales, the biggest market in the Asia-Pacific region. (The grand opening of Bentley Cube) is

March 8, 2023

[Photo News] Kona Electric unveiled

Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday premiered the all-new Kona Electric, the automaker's latest addition to its expanding portfolio of all-battery electric vehicles, in a video on its YouTube channel. According to the carmaker, the latest EV can drive 410 kilometers or more on a single charge, the longest driving length among EVs in the same classification. Hyundai Motor plans to present the all-new Kona Electric for the first time in an offline setting at the upcoming Seoul Mobility Show schedu

March 7, 2023

[Photo News] Korean debut

Alpha Motor Corporation, a US electric vehicle developer, will make its debut at the upcoming Seoul Mobility Show, which runs from March 30 to April 9 at Kintex in Gyeonggi Province, the event organizers said Tuesday. Established in 2020 in California by a group of automotive, IT and financial experts led by Korean-Americans, Alpha Motor will unveil its EV pickup trucks Wolf and Wolf Plus at the event.

March 7, 2023

7 in 10 Hyundai, Kia cars sold in US are SUVs

More than 7 in 10 cars sold by Hyundai Motor Group in the US were sport utility vehicles, according to the South Korean auto giant’s sales data unveiled Monday. In the first two months of this year, Hyundai Motor and its smaller affiliate Kia sold a combined 162,632 SUVs in the all-important US market, an equivalent of 70.7 percent of its total sales of 230,000 vehicles. Hyundai and its luxury sibling Genesis sold 86,718 SUVs, while Kia sold 5,914 SUVs. It is the first time that the SUV

March 6, 2023

[Photo News] Sending aid for earthquake victims

South Korean shipping company HMM's containers wait for shipment at a Busan port on Friday to deliver relief goods for victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquake. The firm said Monday it has decided to offer its containers free of charge to help relief efforts, with the first batch of 50 containers departing last week. HMM also plans to ship an additional 150 container homes to the quake-hit regions later this month.

March 6, 2023

Samsung SDI, GM to form EV battery alliance

South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI and US auto giant General Motors will build a joint battery manufacturing plant for electric vehicles in the US with an investment worth up to 5 trillion won ($3.8 billion), according to reports Sunday. The battery alliance, which will mark the first collaboration between the two companies, will become official later this week as they are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding in Michigan on Wednesday. Citing unnamed industry sources, the reports sa

March 5, 2023

Competition heats up for first Hyundai factory job openings in decade

Tens of thousands of job seekers have flocked to the Hyundai Motor Group website after the carmaker announced it would recruit production line workers for the first time in a decade, the company said Friday. More than 30,000 people visited the carmaker's recruitment page on the first day of applications on Thursday, causing a server slowdown throughout the day, according to the company. On Friday, it took more than 20 minutes to load the webpage when The Korea Herald tried to access it arou

March 3, 2023

S. Korea, China agree to increase flights to pre-pandemic levels

South Korean and Chinese aviation authorities have agreed to gradually increase the number of flights on their bilateral routes to pre-pandemic levels, the South Korean transport ministry said Friday. Seoul and Beijing have the rights to provide 608 flights a week on routes to each other's country, and they used to offer a combined 1,100 weekly flights before the COVID-19 hit the airline industry three years ago, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. "

March 3, 2023

[KH Explains] Would Renault-Nissan alliance affect Renault Korea?

Last month, auto giants Renault and Nissan announced that they were reshaping their decades-old strategic alliance, calling Europe a top priority market in their renewed green push. With an Asia strategy missing in the landmark deal, experts here warn that Renault Korea Motors could be downgraded as a production base for the French carmaker unless sizeable investments are made in developing its own new cars. Decades-old alliance reshaped On Feb. 6, Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan u

March 2, 2023

[Photo News] Off-road experience

Jeep has opened its first dealership with an off-road experience zone in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, Stellantis Korea said Thursday. With the latest opening, Jeep now has 21 dealerships across the country.

March 2, 2023

Britain OKs Korean Air-Asiana Airlines merger

Britain's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it has approved the integration of South Korea's Korean Air with its smaller local rival Asiana Airlines. Britain's Competition of Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement that undertakings given by Korean Air are "appropriate" to remedy or mitigate a lessening of competition in the market. Korean Air proposed supporting a new Incheon-London route of British airliner Virgin Atlantic Airways, as the CMA had demanded Korean A

March 1, 2023