Toyota Motors Corp. said Thursday it will launch four new models in South Korea in the first half of the year to jump-start its lackluster sales amid trade tensions between Seoul and Tokyo. Toyota Motors plans to introduce the gasoline-powered GR Supra sports car on Jan. 21, the Camry's sports version XSE gasoline model in February and the all-wheel drive Prius and Prius C Crossover gasoline hybrid models in March, the company said in a statement.For the whole of 2019, Toyota sold 10,611 vehicle

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Thursday their combined sales in the United States rose 4.6 percent last year, helped by robust sales of SUVs. In 2019, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 1,304,109 vehicles in the world's most important automobile market, up 4.6 percent from 1,257,307 units the previous year, the companies' sales data showed. The annual figures include sales of Genesis models that are sold under Hyundai's independent Genesis brand. Hyundai and Genesis' US s

Sales of sport utility vehicle models in South Korea hit a record high last year as carmakers strengthened their SUV lineups to meet rising demand for recreational vehicles, industry data showed Thursday.  For the whole of 2019, the country's five automakers, including Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., sold a combined 575,662 SUVs here, accounting for 38 percent of their domestic sales of 1,533,166 passenger vehicles, according to the carmakers' sales data.  Their local sales fel

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Volvo Cars Korea said Tuesday it aims to sell 12,000 vehicles this year on higher demand for its SUVs.The 2020 sales target is 14 percent higher than the carmaker's sales of 10,570 vehicles last year, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.Volvo's three best-selling models were the midsize XC60 SUV, the compact XC40 SUV and the S90 upper midsize sedan in 2019, driving up the annual sales result, the KAIDA data showed. The midsize S60 sedan and the V60

American classic sport utility vehicle brand Jeep sold 10,251 units in Korea in 2019, joining the “10,000-unit club” here for the first time, the company said Monday. The 10,000-unit mark is a standard that measures whether foreign carmakers have made a safe landing here.According to Jeep, it saw a 35.1 percent increase in annual sales last year from the year prior, bringing it to seventh among foreign carmakers and second among imported SUV brands.  It is the first time for the

Hyundai Motor said Monday it has launched Kona Electric 2020, an upgraded version of the country’s most-sold electric vehicle last year.A total of 13,587 units of Kona Electric were sold in the domestic market last year, maintaining its top position in the EV market for two years in a row.  The automaker said all trims of Kona Electric 2020 have adopted 10.25-inch navigation, offering drivers with wider, clearer screen as well as various multimedia contents. The navigation program is

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors said they have seen their combined electric vehicle exports more than double last year.In 2019, the two carmakers exported 63,414 EVs, up from 27,798 units a year earlier.Their other eco-friendly vehicles including plug-in hybrid and fuel cell EV models also increased 16 percent to 226,581 units last year.Hyundai’s all-electric models include the Ioniq and the Kona Electric. Kia sells the Niro Electric and Soul electric boxcar in global markets. H

The country’s airlines are expanding their numbers of flights ahead of Seollal and throughout the holiday, industry sources said Friday. Seollal, the Lunar new year, is one of the biggest holidays in Korea. This year’s Seollal falls on Jan. 25, with the holiday running from 24th until 27th.  Korean Air said it would add a total of 26 more domestic flights connecting Gimpo to Jeju, Cheongju to Jeju and Gimpo to Busan, from 23rd to 27th.Asiana Airlines said it will add 12 mor

Carmakers are rushing to launch new models in the first half of the year -- mainly market-dominating sport utility vehicles -- seeking opportunities to recover sales, according to industry sources.Hyundai Motor’s first-ever Genesis SUV GV80 opens up this year’s new vehicle lineup. The automaker released images of the luxury SUV GV80 on New Year’s Day, raising market expectations for the model set to debut in mid-January.  The three-row SUV from Hyundai Motor’s l

Hyundai Motor’s luxury brand Genesis unveiled its first sport utility vehicle on Wednesday, raising market expectations for the much-anticipated model set to debut in mid-January. The GV80, a three-row SUV, is the fourth model of the brand, which consists of the G70, G80 and G90 sedans.  The “V” in its name represents the “versatile” aspect of the luxury SUV, while the number 80 indicates its large size, Hyundai Motor said. Under the design concept of

After a bumpy year with flat consumer sentiment and global trade uncertainties, the automotive market is likely to face a similar business environment in 2020, with sport utility vehicles, electric vehicles and luxury cars remaining popular, according to market analysts.Hyundai Motor Group’s think tank for global business research and development center noted that the global auto market is estimated to record sales of 86.95 million units in 2019, down 5 percent from the previous year. This

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Mercedes-Benz said Sunday its luxury flagship sedan the new Mercedes-Benz S 560 e has landed in South Korea, as part of the efforts to diversify its plug-in hybrid sedan lineup here. The German automaker’s S-Class sedan is conspicuous by its long wheelbase, spacious interior, innovative suspension system and high fuel efficiency, being a 70-year-long steady-selling luxury sedan, Mercedes-Benz Korea said.With the third-generation plug-in hybrid new S 560 e launching in Korea, the company sa