Mercedes-Benz Korea adds Maybach SUV to lineup

Mercedes-Benz Korea on Tuesday added its most luxurious SUV model to the lineup to gain a bigger share in the South Korean market. The German carmaker has launched the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC SUV equipped with a twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8 M177 engine at 257 million won ($230,000), the company said in a statement. "The new Mercedes-Maybach GLS is a fascinating model that will draw the attention of customers who want a high-end SUV. We will continue to provide the best products this

March 2, 2021

Hyundai Motor says sales of IONIQ 5 in Europe show solid start

Hyundai Motor Co.'s preorders of its IONIQ 5 all-electric model in Europe showed a solid start, with the carmaker selling 3,000 units in advance orders. According to Hyundai's affiliates in Europe, about 10,000 people applied to buy the electric car in preorders for the IONIQ 5, the first model embedded with Hyundai's own EV-only electric-global modular platform (E-GMP). The move is likely to help Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors increase sales of electric cars in Europe. Last week, Hyund

Feb. 28, 2021

Hyundai IONIQ 5 set to log solid sales

Hyundai Motor Co.'s IONIQ 5 all-electric model is receiving strong responses in the domestic market, with its first-day preorders exceeding 23,000 units, the country's top automaker said Friday. Hyundai started receiving orders for the IONIQ 5 midsize crossover utility vehicle Thursday well ahead of the model's launch in the domestic market in the second quarter, the company said in a statement. Preorders for the IONIQ 5, the first model embedded with Hyundai Motor Group's own EV-only electri

Feb. 26, 2021

Jeep to launch drive-through event to celebrate 80th anniversary

SUV brand Jeep said on Thursday it will launch a drive-thru event next month to celebrate the company’s 80th anniversary. The American carmaker, founded in 1941, will kick off the event on March 3 along with a limited-edition release of six of its models to mark the occasion. The brand’s signature vehicles will also be put on display for 10 days in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood in Seoul. During the event, customers will have a chance to enjoy consultation services as well as partic

Feb. 25, 2021

T'way Air's net losses widen in 2020 on pandemic

T'way Air, a South Korean low-cost carrier, on Thursday reported widened losses last year due to the coronavirus' impact on the airline industry. Net losses deepened to 137.87 billion won ($124 million) in 2020 from 43.21 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. Operating losses also widened to 174.31 billion won last year from 19.24 billion won the previous year. Sales fell 66 percent to 269.22 billion won from 810.45 billion won over the cited period, it said.

Feb. 25, 2021

Hyundai wins most 2021 Top Safety Pick awards

South Korean automaking giant Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday it has earned the most Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Hyundai Motor Co., Hyundai's independent brand Genesis and affiliate Kia Corp. received 12 Top Safety Pick (TSP) and five Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) ratings from the IIHS in its latest round of crash-testing evaluations, a Hyundai spokesman said. Hyundai's Palisade SUV and Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle, Kia's K5 sedan and

Feb. 25, 2021

Hyundai Motor to recall Kona electric cars over fire risk

Hyundai Motor will replace the battery systems in about 82,000 electric vehicles sold here and abroad due to fire risks, the company announced Wednesday. The voluntary recall, which affects three electric vehicle models -- Kona, Ioniq and Elec City -- comes after South Korea’s Transport Ministry said a series of fires involving Kona vehicles had most likely been caused by short circuits in defective high-voltage battery cells. The automaker will be recalling a total of 81,701 units of

Feb. 24, 2021

Incheon Airport cautiously expects ‘reverse L-shaped recovery’ as soon as later this year

Incheon International Airport Corp. said Wednesday that air travel could see a “reverse L-shaped recovery” as early as the second half of this year as the vaccine rollout speeds up in South Korea. In the most ideal scenario, IIAC said, the annual number of passengers could reach some 16.5 million, a 76.5 percent drop from 2019, but the overall pace of the recovery would remain slow and the number of passengers could be as low as 5 million by its most conservative estimate. That woul

Feb. 24, 2021

Incheon Airport to roll out rapid coronavirus tests

Incheon Airport will roll out speedy coronavirus tests from next month, cutting down the process from seven hours to two or four hours. The new loop-mediated isothermal amplification -- or LAMP-type -- rapid PCR tests, which have been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, can take as little as two hours to show the result and have been recommended for passengers with no symptoms traveling abroad, the Incheon International Airport Corp. said Tuesday. Negative results from rapid PCR

Feb. 23, 2021

Hyundai Motor makes a splash with the all-electric Ioniq 5

Hyundai Motor unveiled the all-electric midsized sport utility vehicle Ioniq 5 on Tuesday. It is the first model to use the automaker’s own electric vehicle platform, the Electric-Global Modular Platform or E-GMP. In an online press conference, Hyundai Motor President Chang Jae-hoon and executives presented the Ioniq 5, highlighting how the new car would set the standard for an electric mobility lifestyle with sustainable and innovative features. “Electrification is the major foc

Feb. 23, 2021

Korean Air, Asiana to ground Boeing 777 after engine incident

South Korea's two biggest carriers -- Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. -- said Monday they will ground all Boeing 777 passenger jets following a recent engine failure incident in the United States. A B777-200 plane suffered an engine failure after taking off for Honolulu on Saturday (local time), with an engine cowling and other parts from the plane found to be scattered on the ground in Denver, according to foreign media reports. The United Airlines, Inc. flight reportedly landed

Feb. 22, 2021

Asiana converts two more passenger planes to carry cargo

Asiana Airlines said on Monday it has converted two of its Airbus A350-900 passenger aircrafts to cargo planes as it seeks to expand its freight business. The move will give the airline an additional 23 tons of space to carry cargo per plane, bringing its air cargo fleet to a total of four. Two other passenger planes were converted last year. In a statement, the airline boasted last year’s record breaking sales from its cargo business reached 2.14 trillion won ($1.9 billion), up 64 perce

Feb. 22, 2021

Airlines to retain air traffic rights without flying

The government is poised to further extend the period when airlines can suspend flights without losing their air traffic rights for the routes, as the pandemic continues to affect the aviation industry. According to sources close to the matter, the new extension is currently being “positively considered,” as the current extension comes to an end next month. “Given the prolonged pandemic, the measure is being positively considered to help support airlines,” one Transport

Feb. 21, 2021

Kia tops J.D. Power mass-market dependability rankings

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, said Friday it became the best-scoring mass-market brand in this year's J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study results. Kia beat perennial No. 1 Toyota Motor Corp. and 16 other mass-market brands to become the most dependable mainstream brand in terms of problems owners of three-year-old cars have experienced in the United States, the company said in a statement. Kia's Optima (or K5) midsize sedan, Sportage compact SUV and Sorento midsize SUV

Feb. 19, 2021

Cadillac launches entry-level SUV XT4 in full-option

Cadillac of GM Korea is launching its first entry-level sports utility vehicle XT4 in Korea to target younger drivers, the company said Thursday. The automaker said the XT4 model here will be come in the sport trim with all functional options -- including massage seats in the driver and the passenger seats in the front, and a panoramic sunroof. With a price tag of 55.3 million won ($50,000), the new model seeks to gain an upper hand in the compact SUV segment, against its potential rivals M

Feb. 18, 2021

Eastar Jet could fly again as soon as June

South Korea’s troubled low-cost carrier Eastar Jet, which filed for court receivership last month, could be back in the sky as soon as June amid increased chances of a deal. According to industry sources, the number of potential buyers -- including a private equity fund and a construction company -- has risen from four to six or seven, with the acquisition process set to be finalized by late May. Earlier this month, the Seoul Bankruptcy Court allowed the airline to initiate corporate reh

Feb. 18, 2021

Operation of new budget airlines delayed amid prolonged pandemic

Newly-launched South Korean low-cost carriers Air Premia and Aero K have been given an extended time frame by the Transport Ministry to begin the operation of their service amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the two airlines can fly their first flights by the end of this year in order to retain their operating license, pushing back the date from early March to December. The move, approved by an advisory co

Feb. 17, 2021

Kia teases exterior design of all-new K8

Kia Corp. South Korea's No. 2 carmaker, on Wednesday revealed the exterior design of the new large sedan K8, the first model that bears its new brand logo. The K8 is a successor of K7, better known as Cadenza in the United States, which has sold over 500,000 units globally since its launch in 2009. Its new corporate image features elongated 5,015 mm body with a low roofline, which combines sportiness and sleek exterior design. At the front sits a new signature frameless tiger nose grille that

Feb. 17, 2021

[Behind the Wheel] Honda CR-V kicks it up a notch for hybrid EVs

The more environmentally-friendly version of Honda’s flagship sports utility vehicle CR-V has been launched in Korea, boasting an ample interior space, and with distinguishable driving modes that offer a little more fun to driving. The Japanese automaker has kicked off the new year by presenting the new CR-V Hybrid, a hybrid electric vehicle model of the CR-V, and aims to get back on its feet in the Korean market, where it has been suffering from a nationwide boycott against Japanese goo

Feb. 16, 2021

Hyundai reveals interior of 1st own EV platform-based IONIQ 5

Hyundai Motor Co. on Monday unveiled the interior design of the IONIQ 5, the first all-electric model with its own electric vehicle platform, ahead of its global unveiling next week. The IONIQ 5 midsize crossover vehicle comfortably accommodates both passengers and cargo as the electric-global modular platform allows for an elongated wheelbase and flat floor unlike other midsize crossovers with internal combustion engines and conventional steer-by-wire systems, Hyundai said in a statement. &qu

Feb. 15, 2021