Japan Tobacco International in Korea said Wednesday that its odor-reduced tobacco vapor product Ploom Tech will be sold at duty-free stores Lotte and Shilla Duty Free from mid-September. The heat-not-burn product, which was released in July, is the first e-cigarette to use hybrid technology by indirectly heating tobacco leaves through vapor.The price of the Ploom Tech starter kit is $27 and as part of the launch event, a limited number of mouth pieces will be offered for free, the company said.&

Hyundai Motor’s sport utility vehicle Palisade has earned the Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the US. The vehicle received the highest grade, “good,” from the IIHS in terms of crash protection in six categories, including the driver-side and passenger-side small overlap, roof hardness and seat safety. Its front collision avoidance system was rated as “advanced.” The Palisade is Hyundai Motor’s 13th vehicle to earn

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that the rescue operation to save those believed to be trapped inside Hyundai Glovis’ capsized cargo ship off the US East Coast was underway, as the related authorities gathered for a meeting to dispatch a team to deal with the accident.According to the ministry, Hyundai Glovis car transport vessel the Golden Ray listed sharply in waters off the US state of Georgia at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, local time. The Golden Ray was carryi

Hyundai Department Store became the first major department store here to sell its products via Coupang, the country’s largest e-commerce platform by sales, amid intensifying e-commerce competition among online retailers as well as major department stores. According to Hyundai Department Store, it joined hands with Coupang to bolster its competitiveness both online and offline by using Coupang’s next-day delivery flagship service Rocket Delivery. Hyundai said it has register

Models wearing clothes made from upcycled leather offcuts from car seats pose during Hyundai Motor’s upcycling fashion collection “Re:Style” at Public Hotel in Manhattan, New York, Friday. The automaker said it collaborated with New York-based fashion brand Zero + Maria Cornejo to create an eco-friendly fashion line using leftover leather supplied by its auto parts making unit Hyundai Transys. (ddd@heraldcorp.com)

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor is reportedly considering whether to pull out of the Korean market as sales dwindle amid the ongoing diplomatic and trade tensions between the neighboring countries.Multiple news outlets reported Sunday that Nissan’s decision-making officials have been reviewing whether to continue sales in Korea, as the Japanese carmaker has been hit hard by the nationwide boycott of Japanese goods here.Early in July, many here began a boycott of all things Japanese after th

FUZHOU, China -- German super car maker Porsche unveiled its first electricity-powered sports car Taycan on Wednesday, combining the premium brand’s heritage and innovation in terms of sustainability and digitalization. The world premiere of Taycan was held simultaneously in three countries -- the US, Germany and China -- given the three countries’ importance as markets for electric cars. According to Porsche, the four-door sports saloon is the first EV in the market that u

Singapore Airlines said Monday that Xavier Ho has been appointed as a new chief of the Korean branch. Ho, who joined the company in 2006 after studying civil engineering at National University of Singapore, has previously worked at Los Angeles, Colombo, Auckland, Jakarta and Osaka branches.Until recently, he led sales and operation in India as a manager at Singapore Airlines’ north Indian branch.The air carrier said Ho will help business growth in Korea and enhance customer services b

Hyundai Motor Group said Monday that sales of its cars in Western Europe have surpassed that of Japanese rivals Toyota Motor and Honda Motor over the last 7 1/2 years. Its auto affiliates -- Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors -- sold 552,701 cars in the January to June period, about 70,000 more than those sold by Toyota and Honda. The two carmakers together make up roughly 6 percent of all automobiles sold in Western Europe.In the first half of this year, the combined sales of Hyundai and Ki

South Korean retail giant Lotte Group said Monday it has sold its entire stake in Burger King Japan Holdings, nine years after it acquired the fast-food franchise. According to the Financial Supervisory Service, Lotte Group has sold its stake to Hong Kong-based private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners, the largest shareholder of Burger King Korea.  While the exact price of the sell-off has not been revealed, industry sources said the deal could be worth around 10 billion won ($8.26 mill

A dispute between major South Korean battery manufacturers was taken up a notch Friday with SK Innovation revealing counter lawsuits against LG Chem in the US over alleged violation of patents for electric vehicle battery technology. The move comes four months after LG Chem filed a lawsuit with the Delaware District Court in April, accusing SK Innovation in the US of making batteries by using technologies leaked from former LG Chem employees who were hired by SK. SK Innovation said in

Volkswagen plans to launch five more models of sport utility vehicles in Korea by 2020 to bolster its SUV lineup, the head of the automaker said Thursday.Amid increasing demand for larger multipurpose SUVs here, the company will relaunch its bestselling model Tiguan in October and the third-generation Touareg in November.The compact SUV T-Roc, large SUV Teramont and upgraded seven-seater Tiguan Allspace will be launched next year, completing the German carmaker’s SUV lineup here with vario

An American shopper looks aty Orion’s corn soup-flavored snack Kkobuk Chip, marketed as Turtle Chips in the US, in a Costco store. The South Korean snack and confectionary company said sales of Kkobuk Chip will begin at Costco’s 20 main branches including the San Fransisco store, and expand distrubtion to other major retailers including Sam’s Club and Walmart. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor Group on Thursday unveiled two new mass-produced commercial vehicles, midsized truck Pavise and electric bus County EV, under a plan to complete its commercial vehicle lineups by 2025. In 2017, Hyundai Motor has introduced its first-ever zero emission electric bus, called Elec City, and test-operated it during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. According to Hyundai Motor, it plans to release 17 types of eco-friendly commercial vehicles by 2025, un

Anseong, GYEONGGI PROVINCE -- BMW’s Regional Distribution Center in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, can be described as an automotive version of Amazon’s warehouses. It opened in 2017 to facilitate auto parts supply for customer satisfaction. Piles of cardboard boxes of different sizes are stacked on shelves at the BMW RDC, where approximately 20,000 lines, or auto parts, are sent daily to dealerships nationwide. Each employee works with a handy scanner, moving on personal cart

Hyundai Motor Group unveiled Tuesday a prototype of a foldable electronic scooter that can be charged by using electricity from Hyundai and Kia Motor vehicles.According to Hyundai Motor, the latest e-scooter will be built into Hyundai and Kia Motor vehicles and can be automatically charged by using electricity generated from driving a vehicle. Hyundai’s e-scooter runs on a 10.5Ah lithium-ion battery, allowing a 20 kilometer range on single charge. The top speed will be 20 kilometers per ho

Hyundai Glovis, the logistics arm of Hyundai Motor Group, said Tuesday that it has opened a logistics office in Chongqing, central China, to expand its base in the mainland. By opening an additional office there, the company said it has secured a total of 14 logistics points in China, including offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.According to the company, Chongqing serves as a major industrial base, as the Trans-China Railway en route to European countries including Germany passes thr

Swedish carmaker Volvo’s third-generation midsized premium sedan the New V60 launched in South Korea on Tuesday, billed by the company as a reasonably priced model with an iconic Scandinavian design.The carmaker said the New S60’s exterior had been completely redone for the first time in eight years. Its vertically arranged front grille and Thor’s hammer-style LED headlights give the New S60 a stronger, bolder and sportier look, the firm said.Compared with its predecessor, the

South Korean builder Daewoo Engineering & Construction has joined hands with Vietnam’s state-run constructor CC1 for partnership, the firm said Monday. The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding Friday at the Daewoo E&C headquarters in Seoul, agreeing to exchange information on bidding and projects in Vietnam.  Based on its experience and expertise in domestic and overseas markets, Daewoo E&C said it would seek new business opportunities in Vietnam in the fiel

Korean health and beauty store operator Olive Young said Monday that it has partnered with Chinese mobile payment platform WeChat Pay to introduce it as a payment option here, as the number of Chinese tourists looking to pay via mobile apps grows.According to the company, the number of Chinese tourists who paid via mobile applications from July 26 to Aug. 25 at its flagship store located in Myeong-dong, Seoul, increased by 45 percent compared to a year prior. The amount spent by Chinese vis