Kia Motors said Thursday it is making all-out efforts to break through export woes amid the COVID-19 pandemic by enhancing online sales and services platforms for overseas customers. In this context, Kia Motors President Song Ho-sung visited Pyeongtaek Port, the country’s main gateway for automotive exports, to check the product quality and encourage workers, the automaker said. “The current economic situation is definitely a crisis due to COVID-19, but all divisions at Kia Motors

SsangYong Motors, one of South Korea’s five major automakers, has been refused by its financial auditor to deliver an opinion on its ability to survive, after posting swelling losses for the 13th consecutive quarter last week. But an official from the carmaker told The Korea Herald that it does not plan to appeal the decision, given that it was based on its latest quarterly report, not an annual report, and does not require appealing to prevent delisting. According to the automaker&rsqu

BMW Korea said Monday that its new models of 5 and 6 series sedans will be unveiled at the world premiere taking place in South Korea on May 27, the first time an imported carmaker here is hosting the world premiere here. The carmaker said, it will also be the first time for a foreign automaker to reveal the new model series -- not just a specific trim of the new models -- in the country, apart showcasing two world premiere models at once. BMW Korea said it has decided to hold the world premi

Miniature models of Hyundai Motor Group’s future mobility solutions, such as urban air mobility, purpose-built vehicles and hubs are displayed at the automaker’s headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul.  Models are one-eighth scale and installed over 107 square meters of the building.  In January, Hyundai Motor Group’s Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun unveiled its future mobility vision at the Consumer Electronics Show to shift itself from an automobile manufacture

The country’s main gateway operator, Incheon International Airport Corp., said Sunday that it would offer 50 billion won ($40 million) worth of aid to cash-strapped local airliners suffering the economic impact of COVID-19. IIAC said it had met Friday with officials from seven air carriers -- Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Air Seoul, Jeju Air, Jin Air and T’way -- to introduce its new incentive programs and cooperative measures for airliners. For air carriers, IIAC said i

The National Museum of Korea, located in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, is home to the country’s heritage dating back 700,000 years. From the prehistory and ancient history gallery to the medieval and early modern history gallery located on the first floor, calligraphy and painting gallery and donations gallery on the second floor, sculpture and crafts gallery and world art gallery on the third floor, the building is filled with around 330,000 relics. In the main hallway stands the stone

Hanjin KAL said Thursday it will inject 300 billion won ($244.3 million) in Korean Air by selling its assets and through mortgage loans, one day after the airliner’s board decided to raise 1 trillion won by selling new stocks as part of a self-rescue plan.  The parent company of Korean Air currently owns a 29.96 percent stake in the air carrier. Amid the growing economic impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry, Hanjin KAL’s board of directors decided to “preemptivel

Seoul will hold the world’s first hydrogen mobility exhibition called 2020 H2 Mobility+ Energy Show on July 1, to take the lead in the future’s core energy business, according to the event organizer Thursday.  Due to the latest outbreak of COVID-19, the opening of the hydrogen mobility exhibition was discussed by organizing committee members, but they decided to proceed with the plan, the organizer said.  The exhibition had earlier been delayed from March 18 due to the w

Hyundai Glovis said Wednesday it has been picked as operator of Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp.’s logistics center in Qingdao, China, its first cold chain business abroad.  According to the logistics unit of Hyundai Motor Group, its local unit Beijing Glovis, which has been operating there since 2005, will take charge of operation and management of the Qingdao center.  Beijing Glovis will manage the logistics operations -- from transport to storage and delivery of

Mercedes-Benz Korea on Wednesday unveiled its next-generation electric vehicle the Vision EQS concept car for the first time in South Korea. The Vision EQS was introduced to the public at the 2019 Frankfurt International Motor Show in September last year. The model shows the company’s design vision for future luxury electric sedans, according to the carmaker, which held its Vision EQS media presentation in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. By adding its top “S” class next to EQ, th

Buckling down to further penetrate the popular sport utility vehicle market in South Korea despite the pandemic woes, Renault Samsung Motors on Wednesday launched its flagship compact SUV which has topped the European market since 2014. Captur is Renault Samsung’s second-generation revamped model and the second one to keep Renault’s diamond badge instead of being rebadged with the Renault Samsung logo. According to the automaker, Captur was launched in Europe in 2013 and more than

Hyundai Motor Group said Tuesday it will establish a hydrogen bus charging station inside the country’s gateway Incheon International Airport by March next year.  The carmaker will sign an agreement with Incheon International Airport Corp., Air Liquid Korea and Hydrogen Energy Network Corp. to boost hydrogen economy and establish low-carbon, eco-friendly airport environment. The agreement comes as part of the Environment Ministry’s project to support establishment of charging

Volvo Cars Korea said Monday that it has joined hands with SK Telecom to develop a next-generation infotainment system suitable for South Korean customers. The two sides have signed a contract to develop the system to offer Volvo customers here with a customized infotainment system, which would work as a basis for providing connected services, Volvo Cars Korea said. The automaker aims to gradually apply the next-generation infotainment system to some models launched in Korea from 2022. The n

Hyundai Motor Group said Monday that it had established a “nontact” -- or non face-to-face -- IT development platform for software and program development tools amid increasing worldwide efforts to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The automaker said the new platform had been applied with a cloud system which allows connections from outside for software development and using the infrastructure and program development tools.  The group’s IT subsidiary Hyundai Au

South Korean air carriers, hit by unprecedented reduction in passenger traffic and suspension of routes over COVID-19, are slowly resuming international operations, according to industry sources Friday. Korean Air plans to open 32 out of 110 international routes from June 1. It will also resume operation of flights to Washington, Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto in 50 days after the routes have been halted since March.  The number of routes to San Francisco, Chicago and Atlanta will be als

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National IT Industry Promotion Agency for strategic development and management for open source software.  Under the MOU, they will support each other to make use of open source softwares in the automotive manufacturing business to increase global competitiveness, as well as to establish a system for supply network of open source software, the carmaker said.  Open source software is based on publicly

After Mercedes-Benz Korea was slapped with the largest-ever fine of 77.6 billion won ($63.4 million) by the Environment Ministry for rigging emissions data on diesel cars, the market paid attention to whether it would alter the imported car market here. The ministry on Wednesday said some 4,400 diesel cars of 14 models sold by Mercedes-Benz Korea, Nissan Korea and Porsche Korea between 2012 and 2018 passed pollution standards by illicitly manipulating software to reduce the amount of nitrogen

Hyundai Mobis, an auto parts making unit of Hyundai Motor Group, said Wednesday that it has developed the world’s first virtual engine sound system called Acoustic Vehicle Alert Sound with a vehicle’s grille cover.  The system was created by making use of the grille cover of the electric car, which has a completely blocked front grille unlike a combustion engine car that has an open-type grille in the front, as part of the speaker.  The sound system makes a beeping sound

Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday that it has launched the latest version of its sport utility vehicle Palisade incorporating the highest-level trim, following consumer demand. The automaker has added the highest grade trim of 2020 Palisade called Calligraphy, a concept which was first introduced to the new Grandeur launched last year.  The all-new Palisade has applied a special radiator and intake grille, wheel designs, a skid plate and a body color cladding, the company said.  T

GM Korea said Monday that its small sport utility vehicle Trax ranked No. 1 in the United States in the category for small SUVs in the first quarter. According to the automaker, an accumulated 28,242 units of Chevrolet Trax have been sold in the US from January to March, topping the list among 15 kinds of small SUVs sold there. Following Trax were Honda HR-V and Hyundai Motor’s Kona at 19,414 units and 15,174 units, respectively.  All Trax models are manufactured at the automaker&