Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, which owns SsangYong Motor, will be attending the upcoming Seoul Motor Show, the local automaker confirmed Monday.　Mahindra is slated to unveil the world premiere of SsangYong Motor’s new premium sport utility vehicle, the G4 Rexton, at this year’s Seoul Motor Show during the event’s press day Thursday. 　The motor show will officially open to the public Friday. The new G4 Rexton SUV (SsangYong Motor)The vehicle was previously referred to by its code n

Mobility March 28, 2017

The new Kia Stinger sports sedan (Yonhap)Kia Motors’ new high-performance sports vehicle Stinger is expected to be launched in Korea this May, according to industry insiders Monday. 　Following its world premiere at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January and its European premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland in March, the Stringer will be getting is local debut at the Seoul Motor Show, which will open to the public starting Friday. 　Kia Motors also plans

Mobility March 27, 2017

Exterior view of the new SsangYong G4 Rexton SUV, formerly known as the Y400 (SsangYong Motor)SsangYong Motor announced on Monday that the name of its upcoming premium SUV, which was previously referred as the Y400, is the G4 Rexton.　According to SsangYong, the name “G4” is meant to represent the meaning “Great 4 Revolution.” The name is intended to highlight the SUV’s four main quality aspects: driving, safety, style and high-tech. 　The company also revealed images of the exterior and interior

Mobility March 27, 2017

　Han Sung Motors is conducting free vehicle inspections until April 29 to commemorate the recognition it received last year in the areas of consumer satisfaction and diagnostics. 　Han Sung Motor, the largest dealer for Mercedes-Benz Korea, ranked No. 1 in vehicle maintenance customer satisfaction last year, according to the 2016 Automobile Customer Satisfaction Survey by Consumer Insight, a consumer research institute. (Hansung)　The survey was based on online consumer polls from July 2016. 　Han

Mobility March 24, 2017

The imported car market has seen explosive growth in the certified used car industry in recent years, with sales by major imported car brands such as Mercedes-Benz seeing a 346.4 percent surge last year.  　A total of nine imported car brands are currently operating certified used car dealerships in Korea including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Lexus, Porsche, Infiniti and Ferrari.　Although purchasing previously-owned cars from official certified dealers is roughly 10 percent more

Mobility March 22, 2017

The 2017 SsangYong Motor Tivoli SUV (SsangYong Motor)SsangYong Motor’s Tivoli SUV is continuing to dominate the domestic SUV market despite increased competition, selling 56,935 units last year, the company said Wednesday.　Competing against GM Korea’s Chevrolet Trax, Kia’s Niro and Renault Samsung’s QM3, SsangYong’s Tivoli is still holding strong, currently accounting for 54.3 percent of the market share. 　During January and February this year, Tivoli’s market share reached 60.4 percent. 　The Ti

Mobility March 22, 2017

Chinese tire maker Qingdao Doublestar, which recently signed on for the acquisition of Kumho Tire, said in a press release Tuesday that it will retain all current job positions of employees at the company that Kumho Asiana Group is struggling to buy back.　According to company officials, Doublestar has reached an agreement with its creditors to uphold all current job positions of Kumho Tire employees, adding that the company plans to recruit more domestic employees.“Doublestar’s plan to hold all

Industry March 21, 2017

Volvo Korea introduced its latest Cross Country luxury crossover Tuesday, completing its 90 series with a cross between a standard four-door sedan and a SUV. 　The 90 series already includes the S90 midsized sedan and the XC-90 luxury sport utility vehicle. The new Cross Country is intended to act as an amalgamation of the two vehicle models.  Volvo Korea unveils its new Cross Country crossover SUV, the final addition to its 90 series, which also includes a midsized sedan and standard SUV. (Volvo

Mobility March 21, 2017

One of the newest additions to the Lamborghini family, the new rear-wheel drive Huracan Spyder, is now being introduced to the Korean market after it was unveiled to the world for the first time in November. 　Lamborghini Korea unveiled the company’s latest luxury sports vehicle model during a media open house event Monday. The company will be offering a test-driving event for three days for prospective customers starting Tuesday. 　The Spyder convertible is in keeping with the luxury car brand’s

Mobility March 20, 2017

SK Engineering & Construction has partnered with major Belgium-based Turkish energy firm Unit International for a multitrillion-won project to build and operate five new gas-fired power plants in Iran. According to an announcement by SK E&C on Saturday, the South Korean firm signed a deal with the Turkish firm in Istanbul on Friday, agreeing to join Unit International’s ongoing project to build and operate the new power plants. Following the agreement, SK E&C acquired a 30 percent stake in Unit

Industry March 19, 2017

From parking lots to freeways, the diversity of car colors seems to be widely lacking and monotonous in South Korea. Whether a Korean resident or simply visiting, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone able to claim the country’s streets are flush with color. At times it may even seem like the only pop of color on the road comes from the fleet of orange city taxis.“I have noticed that the cars here, in way of color scheme, are white, black or a dark silver,” said 27-year-old Jeffrey Masson, an

Mobility March 19, 2017

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday said it will require athletes to take a certain number of doping tests before taking part in the Olympic Games.The measure was part of the IOC's 12 principles reached at its Executive Board meeting held in PyeongChang, the host of the 2018 Winter Games lying 180 kilometers east of Seoul. They were drafted to ensure "a more robust and independent global anti-doping system to protect clean athletes." Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympi

Olympic Games March 16, 2017

Malaysian officials said Thursday that the family of Kim Jong-nam, who was killed last month, has given its consent to Malaysia to decide what to do with his body. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said police confirmed Kim's identity using DNA from his son which was obtained overseas and brought to Malaysia, local media reported. Kim was holding a diplomatic passport bearing the name Kim Chol when he was attacked Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur's airport by two women who smeared the banned VX ne

North Korea March 16, 2017

A North Korean diplomat says the killing of a man confirmed by Malaysian police to be the half brother of North Korea's leader was a political conspiracy engineered by Washington and Seoul.  Kim Jong-nam looks at photographers as he exits a police van to board a plane to Beijing at Narita International Airport in Narita on May, 2001. (Yonhap)Pak Myong Ho, a minister at North Korea's embassy in Beijing, said Thursday the killing in Malaysia last month was a "despicable and extremely dangerous'' p

North Korea March 16, 2017