Hyundai Motor’s headquarters in southern Seoul (Hyundai Motor Group)The latest reports on BAIC Motor hinting that the company might end its joint venture with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor appear to be part of a plan to foster the Chinese company’s parts making unit, a local analyst suggested Monday.Lee Jae-il, an analyst in charge of automobiles at Eugene Investment & Securities, said in a report that there also has been a recent change in the Chinese government’s approach to the auto market and

Mobility Sept. 11, 2017

Beijing Hyundai Motor's plant in Changzhou, eastern China. (Hyundai Motor Group)Beijing Hyundai Motor, a 50-50 joint venture between Hyundai Motor and Chinese state-owned BAIC Motor, resumed production at Changzhou plant in eastern China on Friday, after a three-day long suspension due to delayed payments to an auto parts supplier.Operations there halted earlier this week when a German-based air filter supplier refused to deliver air intake systems due to unpaid bills.“We are currently in talks

Mobility Sept. 8, 2017

CEO of Incheon Airport Chung Il-young (center) shakes hands with governor of the Sakhalin region Oleg Kozhemyako and Aurora head Konstantin Sukhorebrik after signing the memorandum of understanding on Thursday, local time, in Vladivostok, Russia. (Incheon International Airport Corp.)Incheon International Airport Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sakhalin government and Aurora, a Russian Far East air carrier, to tap into airport development projects in Russia’s Far East, the com

Industry Sept. 7, 2017

Clay models of GM vehicles and the interior made using 3-D augmented reality technology at the Design Center in Bupyeong, Gyeonggi Province (GM Korea)BUPYEONG, Incheon -- Stepping up efforts to quell unrelenting rumors of its potential pullout from South Korea, GM Korea on Wednesday arranged a press tour of its design center, with the newly appointed CEO emphasizing the importance of the market here.“Firstly, I have heard the many rumors of media regarding our operation in GM Korea. I can assure

Mobility Sept. 6, 2017

Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun delivers a presentation at the world premiere of the Kona, Hyundai Motor’s first small SUV, at the company’s studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in July. (Hyundai Motor Group)Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun started a four-day business trip in Europe, seeking to expand the company’s presence there through its to-be-launched fuel cell electric vehicles, compact SUVs and luxury cars, the company said Tuesday.The first destination of C

Mobility Sept. 5, 2017

With about 150 days left to the first Winter Olympics to be held here, torchbearers for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 are to be announced this month by the organizing committee, for which  Coca-Cola, the worldwide Olympic partner, helped gather.As a presenting partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola has been offering a unique experience to non-athlete participants of the event through the torch relay.Kim Yuna (left), a former Olympic figure skating champion and the spokesperson

Industry Sept. 3, 2017

German automotive company BMW on Sunday said its new seventh-generation 5 Series launched in Korea last February is the fruit of the carmaker’s cutting-edge partial self-driving technology. BMW Korea sold a total of 8,063 units of the new seventh-generation 5 Series between February and July this year, the company said. A partial self-driving system panel is located on the left of the steering wheel of the new seventh-generation 5 Series (BMW Korea)The 5 Series is BMW’s best-seller, with over 7.

Mobility Aug. 27, 2017

Yeongjongdo, INCHEON -- Amid a worldwide sport utility vehicle boom, Jaguar Land Rover Korea, the local importer and distributor of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, is slated to add a fourth Range Rover SUV, dubbed Velar, to its lineup next month to offer one of its best on-road SUVs, the company said Sunday. The Range Rover Velar on roads in Yongjong Island, Incheon (Jaguar Land Rover Korea)The launch comes as Korean motorists’ demand for midsize SUVs has been on the rise.Germany luxury BMW, for

Mobility Aug. 27, 2017

Hyundai Motor‘s Santa Cruz crossover truck concept vehicle unveiled at the 2015 Detroit motor show. (Hyundai Motor Group)Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s No.1 automotive company, will tap into the pickup truck market in the US with the aim of boosting its sluggish sales there, the company said Wednesday.Michael J. O‘Brien, vice president of corporate and product planning at Hyundai Motor America, said the company’s top management in Seoul had approved plans to go ahead with pickup truck development,

Mobility Aug. 23, 2017

Kaher Kazem, the newly appointed CEO of GM Korea, met with unionized workers of the company ahead of his inauguration next week, the company said Tuesday. At the meeting, the new local head is expected to ask the labor union for cooperation in improving the company’s competitiveness.Kazem will head GM India until the end of this month. He will begin his post as the new CEO of the Korean unit on Sept. 1, following James Kim.“The new CEO is currently going back and forth between India and Korea to

Mobility Aug. 22, 2017

Amid declining sales and popularity of Hyundai Motor vehicles worldwide, the country’s leading automotive company is recruiting experienced workers to strengthen its independent premium brand Genesis, the company said Monday.Hyundai Motor will look for experts to work on marketing and strategy planning of Genesis, alongside software experts for autonomous driving and connected cars, and experts in eco-friendly vehicles batteries until Sept. 3.“The recruitment shows Hyundai’s efforts to boost sal

Mobility Aug. 21, 2017

Renault Samsung Motor's Twizy ultra-compact EV (Renault Samsung Motor)Amid the growing popularity of electric vehicles, ultra-compact EVs are emerging as a new form of transportation due to mobility on congested roads as well as their affordability, industry watchers said Sunday.“Ultra-compact EVs have been mentioned as the next generation of mobility for drivers living in clustered cities for quite a while now. The latest trend that began in Europe has recently landed in Korea,” said Kwon Soon-

Mobility Aug. 20, 2017

Front view of the hotel Posco Daewoo will open in Yangon, Myanmar on Sep. 1 (Posco Daewoo)Posco Daewoo, the trading arm of Korean steel giant Posco, will open a hotel in Yangon, Myanmar on Sept. 1, the company announced Sunday. The company has been operating in the region for years with positive performance and the hotel is one of its accomplishments, according to Posco Daewoo CEO Kim Young-sang.Located in the former capital of Myanmar, the five-star hotel covers 104,123 square meters of land an

Industry Aug. 20, 2017

Kumho Tire’s high-performance tire Ecsta PS71. (Kumho Tire)Kumho Tire will expand the size of its high-performance tire Ecsta PS71 to offer the product to more motorists starting next year, the company said Thursday. Over 10 tire sizes of the Ecsta PS71, ranging from 16 inch to 20 inch-rim diameter sizes, will be added to the product lineup in 2018 from the current 24 sizes.Made for premium sports driving, the Ecsta PS71 was released last March as an upgraded version of the Ecsta LE Sport, the c

Mobility Aug. 17, 2017

Hyundai Motor‘s next generation fuel cell electric vehicle slated for release next year. (Hyundai Motor Group)Hyundai Motor on Thursday unveiled its next-generation fuel cell electric vehicle set for release early next year, as part of plans to expand its eco-friendly vehicles to 31 models by 2020.“The next-generation FCEV is symbolic of Hyundai Motor’s heritage and leadership. The new model unveiled today confirms Hyundai’s global leadership in FCEVs, while heralding the beginning of a hydrogen

Mobility Aug. 17, 2017