Three South Korean vehicle brands, all belonging to Hyundai Motor Group, surpassed their Japanese and German rivals in a United States quality ranking. 　Hyundai luxury brand Genesis, Kia and Hyundai ranked first, second and third, respectively, in the J.D. Power 2018 US Initial Quality Study, for the fewest glitches and design flaws per 100 new vehicles. 　J.D. Power said Genesis ranked highest in overall initial quality with a score of 68 problems per 100 cars. Kia (72) ranked second and Hyunda

South Korean carmakers now face tougher competition at home as their foreign counterparts are becoming increasingly cost-competitive, on top of their preconceived image as being higher-end or safer.Domestic sales of foreign cars led by German automakers rose 21.7 percent compared to a year prior to 26,133 in May last year, while those of locally produced cars sold by automakers like Hyundai and Kia Motors fell 2 percent to 131,638, according to recent data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry an

Affiliates of South Korea’s No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor Group swept the top three positions in an initial quality study conducted by the US institute J.D. Power, outstripping German and Japanese rivals, the auto group said Thursday. , Genesis ranked highest in overall initial quality with a score of 68, followed by Kia in second place with 72 and Hyundai in third place with 74. The industry average was 93 this year. Initial quality is measured by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehi

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Monday that their regional headquarters in North America, Europe and India will be making key decisions going forward to better meet local market demands.Starting on July 2, Hyundai's regional headquarters in the three regions and Kia's offices in North America and Europe will begin work in earnest, with top managers allowed to take charge of matters involving local output and sales networks, Hyundai Motor Group said in a statement. (Yonh

Benz extends local chief Psillakis‘ term for a year

Automaker completes $2.8 billion debt-equity swap

After a sweeping election victory by the Democratic Party of Korea, leaders of municipalities are likely to push ahead with an administrative drive to ditch old diesel cars and boost electric vehicles as part of their campaign pledges.Re-elected Seoul city major Park Won-soon vowed during his campaign that he would classify vehicles in five different groups based on the amount of emissions and make an alternative-day-no-driving system mandatory.　Park said incentives would be given to vehicles em

Hyundai Motor has become a global automotive sponsor for La Liga’s leading football club Atletico Madrid, stepping up sports marketing efforts in Europe, the company said Thursday.The sponsorship deal was announced just days after the automaker revealed its partnership with Chelsea FC.Until 2021, Hyundai’s logo will appear on the sleeve of the football club’s uniform, alongside advertising boards in its stadium. Hyundai will also be given the rights to display its vehicles at Atletico Madrid’s h

Hyundai heir in China amid carmaker struggling to recover sales

Hyundai Motor is poised to become a leading automaker in motorsports, sweeping eight wins at the World Rally Championship and World Touring Car Cup so far this year, the company said Tuesday. The latest victory scored by Thierry Neuville, driver of Hyundai WRC team, came last week at the seventh round of the 2018 WRC in Italy.“The rally in Italy was fantastic. We were able to reap a notable record thanks to Hyundai’s outstanding i20 rally car and team members,” said Michele Nandan, the head to H

Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s leading automaker, has become an official global automotive partner of top Premier League Chelsea football club, the company said Tuesday. Hyundai’s logo will appear on advertising boards in the stadium, and Hyundai’s vehicles displayed at the club’s home stadium Stamford Bridge.Chelsea players will also wear jerseys with Hyundai’s logo embedded on the left sleeve for the next four years starting August this year, when the new season begins, the company said. (from l

Amid instabilities surrounding oil-exporting countries, gas prices in Korea have risen for eight weeks in a row and averaged 1,610 won ($1.50) per liter as of Monday, industry figures showed.According to gas price information provider Opinet, gas prices in Korea averaged 1,610 won per liter at the start of the week, retaining the highest rate since December 2014.At stations across Seoul, the average cost of gas surged to 1,696 won, up 0.19 percent from the previous day. The most expensive statio

Hyundai Mobis has started a software training program at a cost of 1.4 billion won ($1.2 million) at its research center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to beef up its automotive software professionals by five times by 2025, according to the firm on Sunday.The auto parts unit of Hyundai Motor Group said it has widened the role of its research and development centers in India and Vietnam to serve as a global base to analyze information collected by the firm’s self-developed automated vehicle.“In th

BUSAN -- GM Korea, the local unit of the US auto giant, said Thursday it expects to make a turnaround next year on newly launched cars centered on sport utility vehicles.“I’m confident to say that we have landed on significant agreement with all our stakeholders that enables us to move forward. I’d like to think that we can try to get to profitability as soon as next year,” GM Korea chief Kaher Kazem said during a meeting with reporters at the Busan motor show. GM Korea CEO Kaher Kazem answers q

BUSAN -- Major imported car makers are showcasing their green car lineups and future eco-friendly vehicle plans at the ninth Busan International Motor Show that opens this week, aiming at the steadily growing local market.Highlighting the event was the world premiere by Mercedes-Benz Korea, which unveiled the plug-in hybrid version of its top selling 10th generation E-class, named the new E 300 e.The automaker also revealed the concept EQA, the first compact-sized electric vehicle under the EQ E