Four vehicles of South Korea’s leading automaker Hyundai Motor Group have been included in a ranking of 12 best new cars of 2021, compiled by a US automotive third-party car listings brand Autotrader. The four are Hyundai Motor’s Santa Fe, Genesis GV80, Kia’s Sorento and K5. Hyundai Motor, Genesis and Kia are all automotive brands owned by Hyundai Motor Group. The 12 vehicles have been selected by a team of experts, who collectively tested and scored new models using a ran

South Korea's air passenger traffic plunged 68 percent last year in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the transport ministry said Sunday. In 2020, the number of passengers on domestic and international routes fell to 39.4 million from 123.3 million a year earlier as countries strengthened entry restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. In particular, the number of passengers on international routes plummeted 84 perc

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's biggest carrier, has joined other airlines to offer "flights to nowhere" as a way to ride out the coronavirus crisis, the transport ministry said Sunday. Korean Air plans to use the A380 passenger jet on the route from Incheon to the East Sea, Busan, Jeju Island, the Straits of Korea and back to Incheon on Feb. 27, a ministry official said. The entertainment-packed flight to nowhere will take two hours and 20 minutes. It is priced at 219,000 won-70

Korean Air’s plan to take over Asiana Airline has been approved by antitrust authorities in Turkey, the airline said Wednesday. The Turkish Competition Authority, a government organization dedicated to ensuring market competitiveness, gave the Korean airline the green light last Thursday, becoming the first foreign country to clear one of the hurdles facing the high-profile acquisition. Last month, the South Korean national flag carrier filed for a merger and acquisition review to the an

Hyundai Motor Group on Wednesday unveiled its first "uncrewed" mobility vehicle concept as it strives to morph into a future mobility solutions provider. The TIGER robot, which stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot, is designed to operate as a four-wheel drive vehicle or a four-legged walking machine to conduct scientific exploration activities, carry emergency medical kits and deliver products to inaccessible areas, Hyundai said in a statement. The vehicle with

BMW senior designer Lim Seung-mo says settling for familiarity more dangerous for the brand

Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Corp. said Monday they are not in talks with Apple Inc. over an electric car manufacturing project in response to reports of their suspended discussions. In separate regulatory filings, Hyundai and Kia, which together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales, said they are "not in talks with Apple over developing an autonomous vehicle." The carmakers said they are considering forming a partnership with foreign companies in regard to self-dr

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's biggest carrier, said Thursday its net losses narrowed in 2020 from a year earlier, as it offset the pandemic-caused slump in passenger travel with increased cargo deliveries and enjoyed decent gains from an asset sale. Net losses narrowed to 291.45 billion won ($260 million) last year from 622.76 billion won the previous year, the company said in a regulatory filing. "The proceeds from the sale of its in-flight catering and duty-free business and forei

Korean Air is taking steps to launch its own international sightseeing flights without landing, the airline said on Wednesday. “We are taking necessary steps to operate chartered flights and the sales dates are under discussion,” one official at the airline said. The airline’s first international “flight to nowhere” has been given the green-light by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to take off on Feb. 27, the official added. The travel route is y

Mercedes-Benz Korea has requested a Seoul court cancel a multibillion-won fine imposed on the company for manipulating diesel emissions in the country, judicial sources said Tuesday. The German carmaker filed a lawsuit against the environment ministry in October with the Seoul Administrative Court, seeking the cancellation of a 77.6 billion-won ($69.3 million) fine over its emission manipulation, the sources said. Details on the upcoming hearing schedules have yet to be disclosed. As for the

South Korean carmakers' sales rose 4.8 percent last month from a year earlier helped by strong demand for sport utility vehicles (SUVs) amid the COVID-19 pandemic, industry data showed Monday. The five carmakers in South Korea -- Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp., GM Korea Co., Renault Samsung Motors Corp. and SsangYong Motor Co. -- sold a combined 597,213 vehicles in January, up from 569,929 units a year ago, according to data from the companies. Their domestic sales jumped 17 percent to 116,270 u

As electric cars have been the driving force behind the changing automotive industry, South Korea should foster competitiveness in the automotive semiconductor industry, a local think tank said Monday. In its report, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute says there is a need for Korean companies to gear up to meet the rising demands of automotive semiconductors, as cars are developing into “moving IT machines” with new technologies such as self-driving and electric powertrains

Ford Korea chief highlights strengths in SUVs and pickup trucks, vows to earn customers’ trust

The number of passengers using South Korean airports fell sharply last year due to the fallout of the new coronavirus outbreak, marking the first drop in 12 years, data showed Sunday. The number of people using 15 airports across the nation came to 65 million last year, down 58.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the first time that the number of airport passengers declined since 2008, when the country was in the midst of the global fina

South Korea's exports of autos declined 12.1 percent on-year last year due to the fallout of the pandemic, data showed Friday. The country's outbound shipments of cars came to $34.7 billion last year, compared with $39 billion the previous year, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. In 2020, the country's imports of autos rose 8.8 percent on-year to $12 billion, the data showed. The drop in auto exports was mainly attributable to a fall in demand over the COVID-19 pande