Adventure seekers drawn to ample cargo space, driving experience, reasonable price

Hyundai Motor ranked first in satisfaction for high-tech automobiles in the US mass market, according to the latest survey of US research firm JD Power on Tuesday. Hyundai ranked highest in the mass-market segment with a score of 556, offering an above-average level of technologies and scoring well for excellence in execution. Subaru (541) ranked second, followed by Kia (538), Nissan (534) and Ram (520). In the luxury segment, Genesis (559) placed sixth. Volvo ranked highest overall with an

BMW Korea said Monday it is launching three new limited edition models online to celebrate 25 years in Korea. The automaker will be releasing two sport activity vehicles -- X5 M50i and X6 M50i -- and the sport sedan M340i in its signature metallic gray. Only 25 of each of the models will be on sale at BMW Shop Online, the automaker’s online platform, at 2:05 p.m. on Tuesday.  The SAVs are limited editions based on the M performance model M50i. The automaker said it is introducing

Eastar Jet will cut down on its workforce as part of efforts to find a new owner after Jeju Air Co. scrapped its plan to acquire the smaller budget carrier amid the coronavirus' impact on the airline business, industry sources said Friday.    Eastar plans to lay off nearly 70 percent of its 1,200 employees in restructuring before it begins the process to find a new investor, Eastar Senior Vice President Kim You-sang said over the phone.    "Our lead managers and two p

GM Korea CEO Kaher Kazem visited the automaker’s Changwon plant on Thursday to review the investment status of its next-generation products, the firm said Friday. GM Korea said, “The visit was made to check whether facility investment for new global products is progressing as planned amid the uncertainty in the business environment, such as heavy rain, heat wave and the pandemic. Kazem and a group of officials visited the construction site to monitor safety compliance and whethe

US automotive distributor HAAH Automotive Holdings is preparing to submit a binding offer to invest in SsangYong Motor, according to media reports here Thursday. Experiencing a liquidity crisis, SsangYong Motor’s major stakeholder, India’s Mahindra Group, announced it will lower its stake from the current 75 percent to less than 50 percent, and that it is willing to give up its top shareholder position if it finds a new investor. A bidder makes a binding offer to acquire a compa

Kia Motors has lost a nine-year wage lawsuit filed by workers as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the employees on Thursday. The automaker has to pay about 50 billion won ($42 million) to its 3,521 union members. In 2011, about 27,000 employees of Kia Motors filed a lawsuit claiming that overtime, night, holiday and annual leave allowances should be recalculated after including regular bonuses, daily expenses and lunch expenses in ordinary wages. The workers claimed around 1 trillion won

Low-cost carrier Eastar Jet is preparing for a new acquisition deal after talks with Jeju Air fell apart last month. The airline has chosen accounting firm Deloitte Korea, corporate law firm Yulchon and Heungkuk Finance Group as its financial advisers, one official at the company confirmed Tuesday. With the help of the three entities, the troubled airline is poised to continue its efforts to seek a new buyer to save itself from bankruptcy. In late July, Jeju Air scrapped plans to purchase Ea

South Korean airlines are betting on YouTube content to maintain their connections with customers amid the ongoing pandemic that has brought the aviation industry to a near-halt. Asiana Airlines released a minute-long advertisement on its channel earlier this month titled “‘Travel’ has left us,” touching on people’s desire to leave (travel) amid the pandemic. “For the first time, travel has left us (instead of us leaving for travel),” the narration sta

SsangYong Motor has established a new sales network for the Middle East as part of its reinforcement of overseas operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm said Tuesday. It will open a store in Baghdad, Iraq, within the month, after opening a showroom in Kuwait on Aug. 10. The company explained the decision is part of its efforts to prepare for the post-pandemic market. “As the economic slowdown due to COVID-19 prolongs, we are reassessing the overall sales environment and strength

Kumho Tire has retained its No. 1 spot in domestic sales by supplying tires for new small sport utility vehicles, the tire maker said Tuesday. Currently, small SUVs have been steadily gaining popularity in South Korea’s auto market with their reasonable price and good performance. Kumho Tire said it has recently supplied new tires to the majority of the popular compact SUVs, including Renault Samsung XM3 and Kia Motors Seltos. Kia Seltos’ 16- and 17-inch wheels and Renault Sam

Top-selling EV maker corrects sales terms that negates damage responsibility to consumers

Hyundai Motor’s premium brand Genesis surpassed Mercedes-Benz in sales for the first time in four years in the local market, industry data showed Monday. According to the auto industry, Genesis sold 60,005 vehicles in the January-July period this year, while Mercedes-Benz and BMW sold 41,583 and 29,246, respectively. Sales of Genesis jumped 65 percent compared to the same period last year. Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, increased 3 percent and BMW rose by 35 percent. In 2016, the

Low cost carrier Jin Air posted an operating loss of 59.6 billion ($50.3 million) won during the second quarter, nearly doubling the loss it suffered the same time last year, according to its regulatory filing on Friday. The quarterly revenue stood at 23.2 billion won, down 89 percent from a year ago. Its net loss for the second quarter was 59 billion won. The low-cost subsidiary of Korean Air said its business suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic despite its efforts to increase domestic

Hyundai Motor said Friday its electric compact sports utility vehicle Kona Electric succeeded in driving over 1,000 kilometers on a single battery charge, setting a new range record for electric vehicles. The auto maker said it had conducted a test run of three Kona Electric vehicles, the company‘s pure electric car brand, at EuroSpeedway Lausitzring, a racing circuit located in northeast Germany from July 22 to 24. Each of the three vehicles went 1,026 kilometers, 1,024.1 km and 1,01