US carmaker Tesla Motors’ Model 3 landed in South Korea on Tuesday, with the local branch starting to receive orders via its website. The price of the Model 3 starts from 52 million won ($43,000) without a government subsidy of 9 million won. The company plans to request for state subsidies. The first batch of the Model 3 will be delivered to customers starting in the final quarter, it said in an email statement. The smallest sedan by Tesla has three trims, including a high-performance ver

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin met Israel’s Economy Minister Eli Cohen to discuss ways to strengthen partnership with tech companies and startups in the Middle Eastern country, the South Korean food and retail giant said Monday.During a meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, the chairman told the minister that Lotte plans to invest in Israel’s innovative companies in the areas of agriculture, robots and artificial intelligence for the group’s future growth. Minister Cohen, in resp

A decision to have Hanwha Chemical Corp. absorb its wholly owned subsidiary Hanwha Q Cells & Advanced Materials drew market interest this week not just because of the move aimed to boost solar power business, but also the indication that the group may be laying the groundwork for a leadership transfer to the chairman’s son.Hanwha Q Cells & Advanced Materials is a global manufacturer of solar power modules and automotive lightweight materials.It has been led by Executive Vice Presid

Samsung Electronics’ operating profits halved in the second quarter on weak chip prices and poor mobile sales, but it is expected to face even more challenges in the second half of the year due to increased uncertainties over trade disputes and the nearing trial to determine the fate of its de facto leader. The South Korean IT giant’s sales slid 4 percent to 56.1 trillion won ($47.4 billion), but its operating profits plunged 55.6 percent on-year to 6.59 trillion won over lower memor

An Indonesian Cabinet member has confirmed Hyundai Motor’s plan to build a new manufacturing factory with a $1 billion investment into the country, according to local media. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said he met the carmaker’s de facto leader Chung Euisun on Friday to discuss the investment plan and that the carmaker has secured a plot for construction on western Java Island, Indonesian newspaper Kompas reported Sunday. The planned factory wil

SONGDO, Incheon – As vehicles increasingly shift from gasoline to electric power, attention is turning to whether lighter materials such as carbon fiber reinforced polymers and aluminum will replace steel in car parts, frames and bodywork. But South Korean steel giant Posco thinks there is hope for steel yet. It is aiming to keep carmaker clients by offering lighter but stronger kinds of steel. The strategy comes thanks to a highly engineered marketing solution devised by its research and

Hyundai Motor Group plans to launch a research unit of its artificial intelligence division in the heart of Silicon Valley within this year, establishing its first overseas division entirely for AI development, the company said Thursday.The AIR Center will be the latest addition to Hyundai Motor’s AI projects. The carmaker launched the Artificial Intelligence Research Lab late last year and hired Kim Jeong-hee, a South Korean expert in deep learning and former leader of Naver Lab’s i

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun on Thursday held talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo to discuss the carmaker’s market entry and future investment plans, according to the company.Chung is the first South Korean conglomerate leader to meet President Widodo after his election victory in May. During the meeting held at the presidential palace in Jakarta, the Indonesian leader reportedly sought more investments by Hyundai in the country, touting the carmaker as

The prosecution on Wednesday indicted former executives of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors on charges of delaying recall processes in Korea for 18 months, though they were allegedly aware of engine defects.According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, three former executives who were responsible of product quality between 2015 and 2017 were indicted on charges of violating the Motor Vehicle Management Act.The companies were aware of problems such as engine stalls, connecting ro

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, South Korea’s industrial equipment maker has agreed to provide key parts needed for construction of a small modular reactor in the United States, the company said Wednesday.Under a partnership with NuScale Power, the South Korean company will supply parts crucial for a nuclear steam supply system and other parts for the SMR. SMR is a new kind of light water reactor for a nuclear power plant.  The project is a part of a plan between NuScale a

Renault Samsung, the South Korean unit of French carmaker Renault, has released an upgraded version of its premium sedan SM6 while keeping its price down, amid intensifying competition in the midsized sedan market, the company said Wednesday.The company has added the upper-end premium model SM6 Premiere and a liquefied petroleum gas version of the vehicle to cater to the diversifying needs of customers. Emphasizing the premium features of the sedan, the company said it has applied the Bose surro

Creditors and Kumho Industrial, the largest stakeholder of Asiana Airlines, will post a public notice to sell the nation’s second-largest air carrier on Thursday, which is likely to be the largest deal of the year.After completing a financial review of the air carrier, creditors said they would speed up the bidding process, if no additional insolvent factors or problems that would complicate the company’s operations are found. Officials at Asiana Airlines confirmed that there’s

British American Tobacco Group has named Kim Eui-soung, a cross-border industry marketing expert, as new chief executive officer and president of its South Korean unit, the company said Monday.Kim replaces Matthieu Juery who led BAT Korea for two years, becoming the first Korean head of the tobacco maker’s local unit launched 29 years ago. The change comes amid intensifying market competition in the fast-changing tobacco market here along with the rise of new types of cigarettes. BAT Korea

Amid growing tension between the management and unionized workers, Hyundai Motor said Monday it saw its operating profit rise 30 percent in the second quarter chiefly on the weaker Korean won and sales of new sport utility vehicles.The South Korean carmaker said in a regulatory filing that it earned an operating profit of 1.23 trillion won ($1.04 billion), a 30.2 percent on-year increase, crossing the 1-trillion-won mark for the first time in seven quarters. Hyundai sold lesser cars, but both it

SK Innovation said Friday that two of its subsidiaries, SK Energy and SK Trading International, have acquired a combined 35 percent stake in Best Oil Co., the second-largest oil retailer in Myanmar. The two companies spent about 150 billion won ($127.7 million) to hold 17.5 percent of BOC’s shares each. BOC has market share of 17 percent in Myanmar’s oil retail market.The deal was aimed at securing stable exports and a trading destination, and making inroads into the foreign ret

YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province -- Hyundai Motor’s latest sports utility vehicle Venue targets a specific group of people -- those in their 20s and 30s pursuing a single and minimalist lifestyle. Well, as its name indicates, the vehicle can literally take you anywhere, but the driving experience of Venue, which simply is just a small SUV, is short of enthralling. Let’s admit it. One should not expect too much from an entry-level car with a price range between $13,000 and $18,000. But the l

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island -- SK Group Chairman said Thursday he will come up with countermeasures against Japan’s strengthened export control of three materials crucial for chip fabrications in a calm manner, stressing that a knee-jerk reaction would not help resolve the matter.“(The best way to resolve the matter) is to seek what we can do the best steadily and everyone (finds a breakthrough) from our respective positions. This case won’t work even with any dramatic plans,”

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island -- Amid the growing tension between South Korea and Japan, the head of the largest organization representing businesses here urged the government and political parties to provide full support to cope with Tokyo’s trade restrictions. Stressing on the need to face challenges in a calm manner and seek countermeasures, Park Yong-maan, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, asked the Moon Jae-in administration to aid businesses seeking alternatives. 

South Korean energy-to-industrial equipment company Doosan Corp. has agreed with UK-based Ceres Power to develop solid oxide fuel cell power systems for commercial buildings here, the companies said Tuesday.The two signed a collaboration and licensing agreement to jointly develop SOFC power systems targeted at the Korean commercial buildings market, in which the two see business potential alongside the Korean government’s plan of increasing the use of fuel cell electric systems in autos, f

Jean-Marc Otero del Val, co-CEO of Hanwha Total Petrochemical, a 50-50 venture between South Korean conglomerate Hanwha and French petrochemical firm Total, has been elected as a representative of French Foreign Trade Advisors’ Korea division, the company said Tuesday. The advisory group, Les Conseiller du Commerce Exterieur, has more than 2,600 members in 145 countries where French companies have made inroads. The organization’s branch in Korea is operated by executives of French fi