Renault Samsung Motors CEO Dominique Signora said Wednesday the company will continue investing in the Korean market, considering the Korean unit’s significance to its French parent company.During a closed-door meeting with Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Oh Keo-don, Signora asked for joint efforts to solve a prolonged labor dispute and to revitalize the city’s export competitiveness through the automaker’s only plant in Busan.  Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Oh Keo-don (left) and Renault Samsung M

Since its launch in 1975, BMW’s 3 Series models have been considered a benchmark for compact sport sedans, selling at least 15 million units globally in the past four decades. The seventh-generation model of BMW 3 Series drives on the road. (BMW Korea)The Korea Herald drove the new 3 Series on a rainy day on a 100-kilometer route from Southeastern Seoul to Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Despite its slippery road condition, it performed well, proving to be one of the highest-rated in the segment

Amid a rising tide of trade protectionism, Korean carmakers are facing a dilemma between producing abroad or at home, where labor agreements force them to maintain staffing levels at high wages.Producing a vehicle in South Korea using highly paid workers costs a lot more than in emerging markets with cheaper labor such as in China, Southeast Asian countries and even Eastern Europe. The low profitability of vehicles made in Korea due to high tariffs has been also cited as a hurdle for Korean auto

Hyundai Motor has invested in CODE42.ai, a local startup founded by a former chief technology officer for Naver, to strengthen their partnership by developing an open platform for the new mobility-as-a-service market.The carmaker’s de facto chief, Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun, recently met Song Chang-hyun, CEO and founder of CODE42, to strengthen their partnership on a smart mobility solution called the Urban Mobility Operating System, the company said in a statement.  Hyundai Motor Exe

Hyundai Motor and local partner Thanh Cong Group in Vietnam have presented a Santa Fe to Park Hang-seo, the South Korean coach currently leading the Southeast Asian nation’s national football team. The SUV given to Park was assembled at a complete knock-down plant the two companies completed in a joint venture early this year. “We offer Santa Fe to Park Hang-seo who has given pride to Vietnamese people, so that he could do better,” a Hyundai official said. 

BMW has unveiled the seventh generation of its best-selling 3 Series sports sedan, the automaker said Thursday.The premium sports sedan series has been the most popular since it was launched in 1975. In the past four decades, at least 15 million units have been sold globally. “The new 3 Series applied BMW’s unique design langauge based on the key concept of ‘precision and poetry.’ We tried to emphasize modern and concise design based on the exterior’s character line,” said a BMW designer Kim Nur

Changing lifestyle, widened features and automakers‘ supply strategy boost popularity

Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia Motors saw record-high first-quarter SUV sales in the US, where sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks are dominant, industry data showed Sunday. From January to March, Hyundai and Kia sold a total of 155,082 units of SUVs in the US, accounting for 8 percent of their total sales and marking the highest figure since 2011, when the combined figure for both companies was 10 percent.  Kia Motors’ Telluride (Kia Motors)SUVs also made up 53.8 percent of total

Hyundai Motor on Thursday denied that it was building a new manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia, after a Cabinet member of the Middle Eastern country said in an interview there had been “advanced” talks on the matter. “We have always taken various plans for review to expand global sales,” said a company official. “There is no plan with regard to (making) investment in Saudi Arabia or any other advanced talks (about that) and we don’t have a plan to build a manufacturing plant there.” (Yonhap)The

BMW Group Korea, the local unit of the German luxury carmaker, has appointed President Han Sang-yun as the new CEO, the company said Monday.Current CEO and Chairman Kim Hyo-joon will continue to maintain his chairman status. He has led the company for the past 19 years as CEO.  BMW Group Korea CEO Han Sang-yun (BMW Korea)Han is an automobile veteran with 25 years of sales and marketing experience. He headed BMW Malaysia in 2016 and has served president since last year. “Based on Chairman Kim’s e

Crossover SUVs, expanded green lineups and widened color palette offer glimpse into auto market of near future

Hyundai Motor has named its first sport utility vehicle entry model, codenamed “QX,” as Venue, breaking its tradition of naming SUVs after resort cities and luxury residential areas in US.Targeting consumers born after 1980, the carmaker said, “Venue will be marketed as a car that could bring them anywhere they wish to go, a special place where they can have hopes and dreams.”Hyundai’s existing SUVs have been named after US cities Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe and Palisade.Venue will be unveiled at New

Hyundai Motor’s eighth-generation all-new Sonata -- the vehicle’s first new version in five years -- has changed seemingly everything about the car except the name. It has undergone some drastic design changes, featuring hidden lighting and a coupe-like frame for the first time. It has adopted a sloping roofline and low deck lid to make the body look longer. The company said the new Sonata’s design, dubbed “Sensuous Sportiness,” was inspired by last year’s Le Fil Rouge concept that was f

Hyundai Motor said on March 27 that its all new entry-level sport utility vehicle, to be unveiled at the New York auto show, will be called the Venue. 　South Korea’s largest carmaker said the small crossover, which sits below the subcompact Kona, targets younger people in their 20s and 30s. The vehicle will reach the global market this year.　The company didn’t provide further details, such as the dimensions, powertrain and price of its new car.  　In recent years, the Korean carmaker has strength

General Motors Co. will open its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in South Korea this week in a move to show its commitment to the local market, the carmaker said Tuesday. The Asia-Pacific regional headquarters will be responsible for managing production, sales, marketing and finances for GM operations in the Asia-Pacific region except China, a GM Korea spokesman said over the phone. The head office is scheduled to open in GM Korea's main Bupyeong plant in Incheon, just west of Seoul, on Thurs