Hyundai Motor to reenter Japan with green cars

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor is set to return to Japan’s passenger car market within the first half of the year, according to industry sources and reports Tuesday.　 Hyundai’s reentry to Japan comes 13 years after its withdrawal from the market dominated by domestic carmakers. With its enhanced eco-friendly technology, Hyundai believes that it has achieved a competitive edge to tap into the neighboring country. The carmaker will return with its electronic car lineup, includ

Jan. 25, 2022

Minor domestic carmakers to face fines over lack of green car sales

Domestic carmakers that lack green car models such as Renault Samsung, SsangYong and GM Korea are expected to face heavier pressure from the government to increase supply of more sustainable cars this year. According to the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday, it will impose fines on automakers that have not been able to fulfill a certain percentage of car sales with more environmentally friendly cars, including electric and hydrogen vehicles, this year. Carmakers that have sold an annual avera

Jan. 25, 2022

Mercedes-Benz Korea to add more EVs, bolster online shop service this year

Mercedes-Benz Korea will focus on launching electric models to complete its EV-lineup in all segments this year, as well as bolstering the supply chain via its online shop, the company said Tuesday. After launching the full-change C-class model in the first quarter, the new EQB will be launched in the second quarter. It is the second compact SUV model following the new EQA. By year-end, the new EQE will be launched, the second model to be based on the modular architecture for premium EV after t

Jan. 25, 2022

[Test Drive] Polestar 2, simple but powerful

The Polestar 2, the first Polestar car to hit the Korean roads, is a performance-driven car, living up to the reputation of the Swedish carmaker that was once Volvo’s racing skunkworks. With the new model, Polestar aims to compete head-on with the Tesla Model 3, the world’s most popular plug-in EV in 2020. At first sight, one can easily grasp that Polestar 2 displays Scandinavian aesthetics: clean and simple lines and functionality without sacrificing beauty. It has a clean-cut

Jan. 24, 2022

Hyundai sweeps Best Cars for the Money awards in US

Hyundai Motor said Sunday it has won five US News and World Report 2022 Best Cars for the Money Awards, outpacing rivals in the awards that put a spotlight on cars and SUVs that represent the best combination of long-term value and excellent ownership experience. The Hyundai winners include: the Elantra hybrid, Tucson hybrid, Kona subcompact SUV, Tucson compact SUV and Santa Fe 2-row SUV. Its smaller sibling Kia Motors’ Telluride also topped the best 3-row SUV for the money category. T

Jan. 23, 2022

Kia EV6 wins Car of Year, Electric SUV of Year in UK

Kia said Friday that its electric SUV model EV6 has been recognized as Car of the Year and Electric SUV of the Year by the UK automotive What Car?’s Car of the Year Awards, Friday. “The EV6 combines a huge real-world range with the ability to charge at speeds that no rival can keep up with, addressing two of the biggest concerns that people still have about electric cars. Kia has been able to take advantage of the compact size of electric motors and produce a car that’s hugely

Jan. 21, 2022

Hyundai Motor’s used car market entry blurry after ministry puts on hold

Hyundai Motor Group’s launch of B2C secondhand car business has met with headwind after the ministry put a halt on the business launch temporarily, according to the industry on Tuesday.  The Ministry of SMEs and Startups last week advised the nation’s largest carmaker to temporarily suspend the launch of the certified used car sales business here. The advisory comes after the country’s association of used car dealership asked the ministry to intervene the automotive congl

Jan. 18, 2022

[Test Drive] Genesis G90, how different from S-Class

When it comes to luxury sedans, Mercedes Benz’s S-Class easily comes to mind. It’s obviously difficult to go beyond the German carmaker's brand reputation and technology built over decades, but the 6-year-old Korean luxury car brand Genesis is seeking to lure customers in the high-end luxury segment with its flagship full-size sedan G90 that offers a brand new experience different from S-Class.  Rather than presenting state-of-the-art auto technology to easily edge out its Germ

Jan. 16, 2022

German carmakers take up 60 percent of imported car sales

Imported commercial car sales in South Korea surpassed 200,000 units again this year despite an automotive semiconductor shortage, an industry association said Thursday. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, imported commercial car sales for the January to November period this year increased 3.6 percent from the same period last year, selling a total of 252,242 units. The top selling brands were Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi being responsible for more than

Dec. 30, 2021

Container volume hits 6-month low at Incheon Port

Container volume at Incheon Port, the nation’s gateway for seaborne trade, has tumbled to a six-month low due to severe bottlenecks at major ports around the world and more lucrative offers by Chinese cargo owners. According to Incheon Port Authority on Sunday, the goods volume transported through the port was 1.64 million 20-foot-long containers in the June to November period this year, down 5.5 percent from a year ago. The port said cargo owners around the world, especially those fro

Dec. 26, 2021

Korean Air to secure W557.8b in property sale

  Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's national flag carrier, said Thursday it will secure 557.8 billion won ($470 million) through a property sale as part of its efforts to improve its financial status amid a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, Korean Air will sign a deal to sell its land and building at Songhyeon-dong in central Seoul to the public housing developer Korea Land & Housing Corp., the company said in a regulatory filing. LH will exchange the Songhyeon-dong site with

Dec. 23, 2021

Polestar debuts in Korea, targets premium EV market

Polestar, the former Volvo company that spun off to become its own brand, announced its launch in South Korea on Tuesday. Aiming to become the game changer of the local EV market that is seeing a growing demand for the green vehicles, the EV company will introduce its first model Polestar 2 on Jan. 18. Polestar 2 is a five-door fastback equipped with a 78 kWh battery and two electric motors that can produce 408 horsepower. “We will be introducing Polestar 2 to our Korean customers at

Dec. 21, 2021

[THE INVESTOR] Renault’s Master becomes game changer of domestic mini bus market

Renault Samsung’s Master van has become a popular choice as a school bus and as a camping car in South Korea due to its safety and customizable features. The Master van, first introduced in 2018 in South Korea, offered enhanced safety and a business solution for its customers, the company said on Monday. “Parents are relieved to see that we use Renault Master as our academy bus to pick up students. The van has a 3 point seat belt so our students feel safe and comfortable when ridin

Dec. 20, 2021

Competition heats up for used EV batteries

The competition to enter the used battery business for electric vehicles is heating up among domestic and global car and battery makers, amid market prospects that the market size would grow to hit 20 trillion won ($16.8 billion) in less than 10 years, data showed. According to data from SNE Research, a consulting firm based in Korea, the global market size of used EV batteries is anticipated to surge to 20.2 trillion won by 2030, up by 1,124.24 percent compared to two years ago. By 2050, it mi

Dec. 19, 2021

Hyundai, Kia say eco-friendly cars surpass 10% of their global sales

Hyundai Motor Group said Sunday that environment-friendly vehicles topped 10 percent of its global car sales for the first time this year amid growing demand for electric cars. The country's top automotive conglomerate said its two carmakers, Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp., sold a total of 656,479 eco-friendly vehicles globally in the January-November period, 10.7 percent of their entire sales of 6.12 million units. The growth marks a sharp increase from 2015, when the annual sales of such ca

Dec. 19, 2021

Hyundai Motor unveils new platform for small mobility

Hyundai Motor Group unveiled its Mobile Eccentric Droid, or MobED, a small mobility platform using cutting-edge robotics technologies, Thursday. MobED has a flat rectangular body with four wheels that can each move independently so its body can remain stable even on slopes and bumpy roads. One of its features is the independent suspension of the wheels, which allows them to navigate a narrow and complex urban environment. MobED’s “Eccentric Wheel” system has three motors att

Dec. 16, 2021

Audi Korea launches EV, high performance models to highlight premium mobility

 Audi Korea sold a total of 21,242 cars from January to November this year, becoming the third-best-selling imported carmaker in Korea, the automaker said Wednesday. According to Audi Korea, it launched various premium and high-performance models such as sedans, SUVs, and electric vehicles this year to enhance its brand image in South Korea as a premium mobility brand. The carmaker accumulated its EV line up in South Korea by launching the Audi R8 V10 Performance in February, followed by

Dec. 15, 2021

Kia outpaces Tesla in Swedish EV sales

Kia Motors, the nation’s second-biggest carmaker, has claimed the No. 2 spot in EV sales in Sweden this year, outpacing its US rival Tesla. According to market tracker EU-EVs on Sunday, Kia sold a total of 6,018 EVs in the January-November period this year, becoming the second highest-selling EV brand with a 12.7 percent market share. At the top of the list was Volkswagen, which sold 9,296 vehicles for a 19.6 percent market share. During the same period, Tesla sold 5,666 EVs, claiming

Dec. 12, 2021

[Subway Stories] Subway made you late to work? Get proof from Seoul Metro

Seoul Subway Stories bring you interesting and informative stories about the subway in and around Seoul -- Ed. Carrying millions of commuters every day between Seoul and its sprawling suburbs, Seoul’s subway is known for its reliability. But if your train was delayed, making you late for work this morning, you can request an excuse letter from Seoul Metro. Records of train delays on Line 1 to Line 9 over the last 30 days are kept on the official Seoul Metro website. Only delays longer

Dec. 6, 2021

Auto journalists pick Genesis’ GV 60 as car of month

The Korea Automobile Journalists Association said Monday that it has chosen Hyundai Motor’s luxury brand Genesis’ GV 60, its first electric car based on its exclusive EV-dedicated modular platform, as its car of the month. Every month, the association selects its best model among new vehicles and updated versions that were launched within the past month, based on five criteria including exterior and interior design, powertrain performance, safety and comfort features, energy efficie

Dec. 6, 2021