Kia's Niro, an eco-friendly sports utility vehicle lineup featuring exclusively green powertrains, has reached a milestone by surpassing 1 million global sales in eight years after its launch, primarily fueled by the popularity of its hybrid model. According to Kia on Sunday, the Niro tallied 1,082,822 units in global sales by January this year, with a breakdown showing 1,241 units sold in its home market and exports exceeding 10,000 units in January alone. Initially unveiled as a hybrid ve

Mobility Feb. 25, 2024

Four years after Tesla revealed the hyped Cybertruck, its production still lags with 1.9 million orders pending. The bottleneck stems from challenges in mass-producing what are known as 4680 battery cells, which are key to the Cybertruck’s success due to their superior energy density and cost efficiency. Currently, Tesla can only produce a fraction -- only a tenth -- of the required output, pushing it to lean on global battery manufacturers. LG Energy Solution, a leading South Korean batte

Mobility Feb. 22, 2024

Even those unfamiliar with the world's largest electric vehicle maker BYD Auto may have noticed their commercial electric buses that have been navigating city streets in Korea since 2017. Now the Chinese automaker, known for its exceptional affordability, is reportedly entering the broader consumer Korean EV market in the latter half of this year by introducing the Dolphin hatchback, Atto 3 compact crossover, and Seal midsize sedan electric vehicles. They are currently undergoing a performance e

Mobility Feb. 20, 2024

Hyundai Motor Company has acquired a hydrogen fuel cell business from the group's affiliate and auto parts supplier Hyundai Mobis at 217 billion won ($163 million) to consolidate the group's hydrogen energy efforts. The agreement, finalized on Friday, includes a complete transfer of assets, personnel, and operations related to Hyundai Mobis' domestic hydrogen fuel cell activities to Hyundai Motor Company. Hyundai Motor Group is streamlining its operations by focusing its hydrogen

Mobility Feb. 16, 2024

LS Cable & System, through its subsidiary LS Eco Advanced Materials, has partnered with European magnet manufacturer Vacuumschmelze to create a joint venture aimed at making special magnets needed for electric vehicles. Announced on Wednesday, this partnership will start producing 1,000 tons of neodymium permanent magnets annually by 2027, enough for half a million electric cars. Neodymium permanent magnets are crucial for the motors that power electric cars, making this venture particularly

Mobility Feb. 16, 2024

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group has initiated a project aimed at significantly boosting the local production and procurement of automotive semiconductors from early this year, according to industry sources on Friday. Challenges stemming from the auto group's heavy reliance on international suppliers for its semiconductor needs, such as supply chain vulnerabilities exposed during the global pandemic, are expected to be resolved through the initiative. Over 90 percent of Hyundai's

Mobility Feb. 16, 2024

The South Korean government is carrying out a strategy to boost the price competitiveness of electric vehicles from domestic automakers with a revised EV subsidy policy for this year. It is seen as a response to aggressive pricing strategies of Chinese automakers and models equipped with Chinese batteries, such as the Tesla Model Y, which utilizes cost-efficient lithium iron phosphate batteries from China's CATL. These models are becoming increasingly pervasive due to their affordability. Chines

Mobility Feb. 15, 2024

Hyundai Motor Group has once again moved up the launch of its new US plant solely dedicated to producing electric vehicles to October this year, three months ahead of its current schedule, to enhance its readiness to toughened subsidy rules. "We're pulling ahead because everybody knows how important it is because so far we don't qualify for federal tax credits," Hyundai Motor America CEO Jose Munoz said during an interview with Automotive News, an American automotive industry media ou

Mobility Feb. 14, 2024

Renault Korea Motors, the South Korean unit of French automotive giant Renault Group, said Tuesday it has appointed Regis Brignon, a software and electrical systems specialist, to lead the development of its software-defined vehicles, or next-generation smart vehicles, for the Korean market. Starting in February as the director of systems engineering operations at Renault Technology Korea, he will lead teams in developing next-generation technologies for future Renault models made in Korea, inc

Mobility Feb. 13, 2024

Hyundai Motor Group is highly likely to surpass the 100-million-vehicle sales mark this year, 56 years after it started selling cars in Korea in 1968. According to the carmaker on Monday, it has sold close to 97 million vehicles around the world as of last year. Of these, about 24 million were sold in Korea's domestic market, accounting for approximately 25 percent of total sales, while the remaining 73 million, or 75 percent, were sold internationally. To achieve the 100 million milestone,

Mobility Feb. 12, 2024

South Korea secured its place among the world's top 10 defense exporters for the second consecutive year in 2023 with approximately $14 billion in exports, anticipating continued demand this year bolstered by substantial deals already in place. Data from the Korean Ministry of National Defense and domestic defense companies published on Monday show that Korea, ranking ninth globally behind Spain, expanded its export markets to 12 countries last year, including new partners like the United A

Industry Feb. 12, 2024

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is commemorating the year 2024 ahead of the Lunar New Year with limited Year of the Dragon Bespoke Commissions, featuring four distinctively designed vehicles, exactly 12 years after its first dragon-themed Phantom in 2012, which sold out in China within two months of release. Introduced last Friday, the 2024 exclusive collection includes three extended versions of the Phantom and one Cullinan sport utility vehicle, each adorned with design elements inspired by the dragon,

Mobility Feb. 10, 2024

Hanwha Ocean, the South Korean maritime defense systems provider, is playing a vital role in modernizing the nation’s naval prowess by providing advanced stealth submarines and multi-purpose warships. For more than four decades, the company has been building vessels for the Navy, with the most recent deliveries including KSS (Korean Submarine-III) submarines, KDX-III (Korean Destroyer-III) destroyers and FFX (Future Frigate eXperimental) Batch-II frigates, with more advanced vessels in the

Industry Feb. 6, 2024

General Motors will release four new vehicles in South Korea this year including two electric vehicles as the global automaker looks to expand its presence in the local market, GM's Korean office said Friday. "We plan to strengthen GM’s presence in the fiercely competitive domestic market and meet the needs of those seeking the unique American product experience and new lifestyle that only GM can provide by expanding our comprehensive range of products," said Hector Villarre

Mobility Feb. 4, 2024

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday acquitted Hur Young-in, chairman of South Korea's largest bakery chain, SPC Group, of charges related to gift tax evasion through undervalued share transactions. Hur was accused of selling shares of Mildawon, the family-owned grain company, at below-market rates in December 2012 to avoid gift taxes. The shares sold for 255 won each, markedly lower than their 2011 appraised value of 1,180 won and their 2008 purchase price of 3,038 won. Prosecutors c

Companies Feb. 2, 2024