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

Fuel cell technology plays pivotal role for Hyundai Motor Group’s effort to transform into a mobility firm

‘Dream team’ of KAC, Hanwha, SKT and KOTI to accelerate efforts to commercialize air taxis

Honda Korea Co., the South Korean unit of Japanese carmaker Honda Motor Co., said Thursday it will focus on reviving lackluster sales this year by launching new gasoline hybrid models amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic. Honda Korea has launched the new all-wheel CR-V hybrid SUV and the upgraded Accord hybrid sedan to regain a share in the Korean market, where its sales plunged 65 percent to 3,056 vehicles last year from 8,760 a year earlier. "We are targeting to sell 3,000 hybrid mod

SsangYong Motor Co., the South Korean unit of Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said Thursday that its Indian parent company is still in talks to sell its controlling stake, denying media reports that the deal has fallen through. SsangYong Motor made the statement in response to media reports that Mahindra and HAAH Automotive Holdings, Inc., a California company that imports vehicles for the US market, have failed to reach a compromise for the deal and notified SsangYong's main cred

Mercedes-Benz Korea will launch nine new models this year, including two electric vehicles, aiming to re-create the sales success of last year, the automaker said Wednesday. This year, the German brand will augment its flagship luxury sedan lineup by launching new C-Class and S-Class models. Also coming to local consumers this year are the revamped CLS, the four-door coupe and a new engine variant for the G-Class, the G 400 d. The automaker is also planning to roll out two pure electric v

The Transport Ministry will investigate the cause of a fire involving a recalled unit of Hyundai’s Kona electric vehicle, as well as the propriety of the car maker’s recall measures, the ministry said Tuesday. On Saturday, a Kona EV caught on fire for an unknown reason, while it was charging in a public charging station in Daegu. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the car had been recalled by the automaker. It decided the car should be investigated b