Kia Motors Corp. is offering a chance to test drive the city car Morning for four days from Feb. 12 to 15.The event is open to anyone with a valid driver’s license over the age of 21, and applications can be submitted on the company’s website at www.kia.co.kr.The company will announce 50 successful applicants on the website from Feb. 10. Those selected for the event will also be given mobile coupo

Renault Samsung Motors Co. is offering a 20 percent discount on mechanics fees and selected parts until Feb. 18.During the period, those replacing engine oils, batteries, anti-freeze fluid and brake pads will be able to receive services at the discount rates at the 448 directly-operated and associated service centers across the country. The offer is available for all Renault Samsung vehicles. For

GENEVA (DPA) ― Ferrari is apparently planning to unveil at the Geneva Motor Show in March a Shooting Brake station wagon concept car based on the 612 Scaglietti, after spy shots of a car were revealed recently.The Italians could be testing the market for cars that could compete against the likes of the Porsche Panamera or other luxury sports utility vehicles, fitted with a V12 engine of some 540 h

Three of last year’s top five bestselling motorcycles with larger than 500 cubic centimeter engine displacement, excluding scooters, were BMW vehicles, BMW Korea announced Thursday.According to industry data, BMW’s S1000RR topped the list with 129 units sold last year. The BMW R1200GS came in third with 104 units, while the R1200RT came in fifth with 83 units. S1000RRThe second bestselling motorcy

BERLIN (DPA) ― Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, has brought plans for a fuel-thrifty car out of abeyance and will display an ultra-light hybrid car at the Qatar Motor Show at the end of this month, according to a German magazine.Volkswagen has spoken for years of making a car that can travel 100 kilometers on just 1 litre of fuel, but has never put one on sale. The magazine Wirtschaftswoche

STUTTGART, Germany (DPA) ― It is not the most handsome, the most valuable or the fastest of its kind but it does have a very special distinction.The frail-looking patent motor vehicle in the style of a tricycle which burst on the scene in Germany 125 years ago is regarded as the world’s very first automobile.Replicas of the pioneering three-wheeler submitted to the German Imperial Patent Office on

Tata Motors Ltd. may expand sales of the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, to countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as early as this year as demand for the egg-shaped vehicle rebounds in India.“We will go after these markets one after another,” Tata chief executive officer Carl-Peter Forster said Thursday at an auto-industry event in Bochum, Germany.  Tata Motors Ltd. Nano vehicles ar

Kia Motors Corp. saw its sales and profits reach an all-time high in 2010, fueled by massive improvements in sales seen both at home and abroad.The carmaker Friday reported yearly sales of 23.26 trillion won ($20.88 billion) and operating profit of 1.68 trillion won, up respectively 26.3 percent and 46.8 percent from a year earlier.Over the corresponding period, the company’s net profits jumped 55

Steelmaker boosts magnesium capabilities in its diversification driveAs magnesium alloys emerge as next-generation material for vehicles, POSCO, the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker, is betting on the metal to fuel the next stage of its drive to become an all-round materials developer.While the market for magnesium alloys remains relatively small, such materials have become key candidates for use

Hyundai Motor Co.’s net annual profits broke the 5 trillion won mark for the first time in 2010 buoyed by improving performances from overseas operations, the company announced Thursday.The company’s net profits for 2010 jumped 77.8 percent from the previous year to come in at 5.27 trillion won ($4.73 billion), while operating profits came in at 3.23 trillion won, up 44.4 percent from 2009.The com

Korea has significantly narrowed the gap with advanced countries in water-related technologies under a government initiative to nurture growth, officials said Wednesday.For the past decade, the level of Korea’s technological capabilities in related fields have risen to about 80 percent that of advanced nations from 40 percent, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. A to

No. 2 carmaker releases new Morning with upgraded safety, convenience featuresJEJU ― Kia Motors Corp. launched the latest version of its Morning city car on the local market Monday.The company aims to sell 100,000 units on the domestic market and 120,000 units overseas this year.From next year, the company hopes to raise the overseas figure by 20,000, pushing up the overall sales figure to 240,000

The five Somali pirates captured alive by South Korea's navy commandos during a mission to rescue a hijacked cargo ship in the Arabian Sea are expected to be brought to Seoul for a trial here, a senior government official said Sunday."At first, we have been in consultations with neighboring countries (of Somalia) on how to hold them accountable. Unless that option is available, we will bring them

Despite the hype from carmakers and the government’s drive to popularize eco-friendly vehicles, South Korean motorists remain lukewarm toward hybrid electric vehicles.According to industry statistics, less than 8,700 hybrid electric vehicles were sold here in 2010, accounting for less than 0.56 percent of the overall market. Of the 11 hybrid electric models available in Korea, Hyundai Motor Co.’s

Russia's chief negotiator for the long-stalled talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program will visit South Korea this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday, the latest in a flurry of diplomacy aimed at seeking ways to resume the six-party negotiations.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin will arrive in Seoul on Friday and hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Wi Sung-l

Samsung Heavy Industries announced Sunday that it has developed a high-tech anti-pirate system providing enhanced security for ships sailing through danger zones.The system includes remotely controlled water cannons, night vision and an advanced radar system.The shipbuilder said the system will be fitted as standard equipment in all ships built at its yard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province.The n

Kia Motors Corp. saw its global market share come to 2.9 percent, the highest ever for the company, in 2010, industry data showed Sunday.According to the carmaker, it sold about 2.09 million units ― about 485,000 units domestically and 1.605 million units overseas ― in 2010. Comparing the figure to the world market volume of 71.35 million units calculated by J.D. Power and Associates, Kia’s global

Daimler Truck Korea launched the cargo truck Actros on the local market Thursday. With the new truck, Mercedes-Benz is entering the country’s market for large cargo trucks, which accounts for about 60 percent of large truck sales, for the first time. ActrosThe truck is equipped with a V6 engine that puts out 476 brake horsepower, and has been designed for use in various functions including transpo

TOKYO (DPA) ― Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to launch eight models of electric cars and plug-in hybrids by the financial year that ends in March 2016, the Japanese carmaker said Thursday.The strategy includes the introduction of hybrid vehicles in the 2013-14 financial year, said Mitsubishi, which produces an electric hatchback but has yet to introduce hybrid models.It plans to also expand its lin

Subaru Korea launched the 2011 Forester compact sport utility vehicle on the local market last Monday.In addition to the usual upgrades seen in model year changes, the new Forester is fitted with the third-generation Boxer engine. 2011 ForesterIn Subaru’s Boxer engine, the pistons are arranged and move horizontally, as opposed to the up and down movement of an inline engine, which according to the