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

Mobility Dec. 6, 2021

Silence prevailed at the departure gates of Incheon Airport on Thursday, a day after the nation reported its first cases of COVID-19’s omicron variant. People waiting to check in for their flights were seated meters apart with masks on. Some were wearing plastic gloves and face shields for extra protection. Cafes at the terminal were open but practically empty. “I mean, it’s the airport. Even my parents think working here makes me vulnerable to omicron. So I understand that

Industry Dec. 3, 2021

Incheon Airport on Thursday forecast its debt ratio to spike to nearly 70 percent this year due to a plunge in flight operations and travelers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The airport operator said in a press conference that flight operations are likely to have dropped 19 percent from last year, and travelers by 70 percent on-year. The downturn has hurt revenue, as the airport’s sales stood at 490.5 billion won ($416 million), a 55 percent drop from last year. The airport sought to respo

Industry Dec. 2, 2021

The biggest obstacles in implementing the East Asia Railway Community are stalled inter-Korean relations and geopolitical confrontation between China and the US, a former presidential adviser told a Transport Ministry forum Thursday. “The EARC is needed to overcome the continental-maritime divide along the Korean Peninsula, which is the old relic of the Cold War system, to open a new horizon of prosperity by tapping into the northern frontier to facilitate functional spillover effects on

Mobility Dec. 2, 2021

Porsche is not ready to let go of combustion engines. Engines are what make a Porsche a Porsche, an executive told The Korea Herald while visiting Seoul for a motor show. And in order to keep that forte while complying with the green agenda, the German carmaker is developing eFuel, a climate-neutral fuel produced with the help of electricity from water and CO2 from the air. “The market is full of combustion cars and they will continue to be made and driven in 2030,” said Thomas F

Mobility Dec. 1, 2021

Most South Korean companies trading with Japan were pessimistic over the possibility of the two neighboring countries improving their chilled ties anytime soon, despite the urgent need to do so, an industrywide survey found Monday. According to the survey conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 92.6 percent of 202 domestic companies agreed that bilateral economic cooperation was absolutely necessary to facilitate trade between the two nations. But the majority of the firms s

Industry Nov. 29, 2021

Hyundai Motor has reclaimed the No. 2 spot in Australian car sales, with its October car sales outpacing those of American rival Ford and Japanese rival Mazda, according to the latest data compiled by the market tracker BestSellingCarsBlog.com on Sunday. Hyundai sold around 6,200 vehicles in October in Australia, a 3 percent increase from a year prior. For the January-October period this year, its cumulative car sales reached 61,000 vehicles, up almost 10,000 vehicles from the same period last

Industry Nov. 28, 2021

South Korea’s biannual auto show kicked off Thursday with global carmakers showcasing sustainable, smart and sophisticated mobility to lure local drivers with future technologies designed to revitalize the pandemic-hit automotive industry. The Seoul Mobility Show offers its stage for one world premiere, five Asia premieres and 14 Korea premiers of six different local and foreign brands. About 100 car manufacturers and mobility companies from six different countries joined the show simulta

Mobility Nov. 25, 2021

Korea Aerospace Industries announced Wednesday that it will acquire a 10 percent stake in Konan Technology, a company specialized in AI and big data. This investment in shares comes as an effort to acquire future industry-related technology by implementing AI, big data and deep learning into the aviation and defense sectors. KAI and Konan Technology will work together on developing an AI-based prognostics and health management system that can be used on Korean Utility Helicopter, KF-21, FA-50,

Industry Nov. 24, 2021

The Seoul Mobility Show, the only official motor show in South Korea, will kick off this Friday simultaneously at Kintex in Goyang and Paju in Gyeonggi Province as well as Seoul, showcasing 18 new cars. According to the organizer for the show, the exhibition will continue until Dec. 5 with over 100 automobile and mobility companies from six different countries taking part. The main exhibition at Kintex includes vehicles from Kia, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, BMW, Audi, Isuzu, Genesis, Porsch

Mobility Nov. 24, 2021

Sales of Volkswagen’s small sport utility vehicle T-Roc have been steadily growing since its launch in South Korea in January, the company said Tuesday. The T-Roc version 2022 boasts enhanced features such as a two-color design with a black roof, a new audio system and a new engine. Offered at a reasonable price around 20 million won ($16,800), T-Roc sales stand strong in the domestic small SUV market. The 2022 version comes in six body colors with a black roof and black side mirrors c

Mobility Nov. 23, 2021

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea and Morgan Phillips Korea co-hosted a webinar Tuesday to discuss generational disparity in the workplace with four CEOs of leading global companies. Speakers across different generations included O.H. Kwon, president of Qualcomm APAC, Robert Wilkinson, managing director of Colliers, Oh Ji-won, country chair of Shell Companies in Korea, and Tyler Joo, marketing director of global brands at AB InBbev. The moderator of the conversation, Christina Ahn, ma

Industry Nov. 23, 2021

Renault Samsung Motors’ sport utility vehicle QM6 is becoming a popular choice for winter travel, as it offers a silent and convenient driving experience to drivers and leaves less of a carbon footprint, the company said Monday. The SUV, powered by gasoline or liquefied petroleum gas, has been the bestselling vehicle in its category. The gasoline-powered QM6 model first introduced in 2017 recorded top sales among midsized gasoline SUVs after just a year. Gas-powered SUVs were previously

Mobility Nov. 22, 2021

Metaverse, the fast-emerging digital platform of interconnecting virtual communities, will provide new business opportunities for budding Korean companies seeking investors for corporate growth and the complete commercialization of their products and services. In an interview jointly hosted by The Korea Herald and Hyundai Futurenet, CEOs of three companies -- Warpsolution, Digisonic and Citylabs -- said they are working on ways to develop both physical and virtual technologies to enhance the me

Industry Nov. 21, 2021

Energy company GS Caltex and leading chemical firm LG Chem are jointly developing technology to mass produce eco-friendly raw materials, the firms announced Thursday. The top officials of the two companies met at LG Science Park in Seoul to sign a joint development agreement aimed at developing and mass producing a biodegradable plastic material called 3HP (Hydroxypropionic acid). 3HP is an eco-friendly substance produced through microbial fermentation of glucose and amorphous glycerol. It i

Industry Nov. 18, 2021