The prosecution on Wednesday indicted former executives of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors on charges of delaying recall processes in Korea for 18 months, though they were allegedly aware of engine defects.According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, three former executives who were responsible of product quality between 2015 and 2017 were indicted on charges of violating the Motor Vehicle Management Act.The companies were aware of problems such as engine stalls, connecting ro

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, South Korea’s industrial equipment maker has agreed to provide key parts needed for construction of a small modular reactor in the United States, the company said Wednesday.Under a partnership with NuScale Power, the South Korean company will supply parts crucial for a nuclear steam supply system and other parts for the SMR. SMR is a new kind of light water reactor for a nuclear power plant.  The project is a part of a plan between NuScale a

Renault Samsung, the South Korean unit of French carmaker Renault, has released an upgraded version of its premium sedan SM6 while keeping its price down, amid intensifying competition in the midsized sedan market, the company said Wednesday.The company has added the upper-end premium model SM6 Premiere and a liquefied petroleum gas version of the vehicle to cater to the diversifying needs of customers. Emphasizing the premium features of the sedan, the company said it has applied the Bose surro

 South Korea’s shipments of environment friendly vehicles jumped an average of 33 percent annually in the past seven years on growing overseas demand, an auto business lobby group said.Local carmakers exported 196,000 eco-friendly vehicles in 2018, up from 35,000 units in 2012. Eco-friendly cars accounted for 8 percent of the country’s overall vehicle exports last year, up from 1.1 percent six years earlier, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.

Operating profit surpasses W1tr for first time in 7 quarters

Automaker Renault Samsung said Monday it has partnered with telecom firm KT to provide Easy Link, a “vehicle infotainment” system utilizing voice assistant technology.Easy Link is a new in-vehicle system that provides a combination of information and entertainment to car users. It will be equipped on the upgraded QM6, the company’s most popular midsized sport utility vehicle model that was unveiled in June. According to Renault Samsung, with a simple call to Giga Genie, KT&rsqu

Hyundai’s latest SUV targets growing number of singles

Kia Motors began selling its new compact sports utility vehicle Seltos on Thursday, which the automaker called it a “game changer” in the global small SUV market which has doubled in size over the last five years. The Seltos, which was unveiled in India last month, can be characterized by its spacious interior with 498 liters of trunk space and a relatively long car body at 4,375 millimeters -- the longest in the small SUV category, according to Kia. &ld

South Korean exports of environment-friendly cars, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, soared over the seven years ending last year as global demand shifted away from combustion-engine cars, industry data showed Tuesday. The data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturer Association showed that from 2012 to 2018, the country’s automotive exports fell by an annual average of 4.2 percent, but exports of eco-friendly cars rose by an average of 33.1 percent per year.A total of 196,000 eco-

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said he hopes to see expanding cooperation between the Middle East country’s startups and South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor in the fields of smart, connected and green mobility, the company said Monday.In his visit to the Hyundai R&D Center in Namyang, Gyeonggi Province, the Israeli leader met the carmaker’s de facto chief, Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun, vowing to take the lead in the development of future cars by strengthening partnership

BMW’s 620d Gran Tourismo, the German carmaker’s new entry-level diesel variant of the 6 series, was released in the Korean market in April. Since then, a total of 314 cars have been sold as of the first week of July.When the Korea Herald drove the 620d GT on the 40 kilometer route from Seoul Station to a cafe in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, the car’s concept was distinctive -- a luxury sedan with functionality and spaciousness but still stylish in its coupe frame. &n

With the popularity of larger, spacious cars globally, South Korea saw sales of recreational vehicles hit 300,000 units in the first half of the year. According to five major carmakers here -- Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, SsangYong Motors, Renault Samsung and General Motors -- a total of 303,315 RVs were sold here from January to June. This accounted for 48.4 percent of total sales of cars here, an increase of about 3 percentage points from the same period the previous year. RVs refer to

Japanese automakers are expanding their presence in South Korea, industry data showed Sunday, as the popularity of their hybrid models is rising in the imported car market. According to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association and automakers, Japanese auto brands took a 21.5 percent share of the imported car market in the first half of the year, the highest figure since 25.3 percent in 2010. The sales of five Japanese auto brands -- Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Nissan and

Hyundai Motor announced Thursday the launch of its smallest sport utility vehicle Venue, setting an annual sales target of 15,000 units in the future and 8,000 units within the year. The Venue completes the carmaker’s SUV lineup, in which it has invested heavily in recent years, defying market criticism of its reliance on midsized sedans. This latest addition to its SUV lineup takes its place alongside the flagship Palisade, the Santa Fe compact, the Tucson subcompact and the entry-level K

Hyundai Motor expects to enter the US pickup market soon with what’s likely to be an American-made vehicle aimed at luring buyers who aren’t traditional truck owners, an executive said Monday.“It’ll be a very versatile vehicle,” Michael O’Brien, vice president of product, corporate and digital planning for Hyundai’s US unit, said in an interview. “That has the promise of creating a whole new class of buyers.” The South Korean automaker won&rs