Chinese vehicle sales in South Korea remained weak due to lack of sales networks and unproven product quality, a local automobile association said Monday. Zhonghan Automotive Co., a South Korean importer of vehicles from BAIC Yinxiang Automobile Co., began to sell the midsize Kenbo 600 SUV in South Korea in January.In the first two weeks of January, Zhonghan Automotive received 120 Kenbo 600 SUVs due to low prices, but the sales continued to fall from 72 in February to 22 in September, according

Kia Motors said Friday it swung to a net loss in the third quarter due to weak China sales and one-off provisions involving wages.The country’s second-largest carmaker shifted to a net loss of 291.8 billion won ($258 million) in the July-September quarter from a net profit of 664.3 billion won a year earlier. A traffic light turns red near the headquarters buildings of Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. in this photo taken on Sept. 10, 2017. (Yonhap)Kia reflected approximately

Hyundai Motor representatives and Korean government officials on Thursday held an inauguration ceremony for its new hydrogen-powered bus. Hyundai Motor will give its new hydrogen fuel cell buses a first test in Ulsan early next year after going through government authentication procedures. If approved, Hyundai Motor will become the first company to deploy a hydrogen bus in a commercial bus line. (Hyundai Motor)

Indian auto giant and owner of SsangYong in talks with Korean battery maker for EV strategy

Hyundai Motor Co. said Thursday its third-quarter net profit fell 16 percent, due mainly to sharp declines in China sales amid a diplomatic row over the deployment of a US advanced missile shield system here.  In the July-September quarter, Hyundai Motor's net profit fell to 939.2 billion won ($835 million) from 1.12 trillion won a year earlier, the company said in a statement.The number of vehicles sold in China plummeted 27 percent to 188,000 in the third quarter from 256,000 units a year earl

Municipal offices, local businessmen and suppliers to GM Korea are stepping up efforts to help GM Korea, which is struggling with mounting deficits amid rumors of its business withdrawal, officials in the industry said Wednesday.Workers at GM Korea’s Bupyeong plant, a local business group and Chevrolet retailers in the nearby port city Incheon plan to sign an agreement Thursday to boost sales of the US car brands and revitalize the local economy largely connected to the operation of the Korean b

Storage efficiency sets apart Renault Samsung’s New QM3 from other small sport utility vehicles, the company said Wednesday in its promotion of the urban crossover.The vehicle’s boot capacity can reach up to 1,235 liters when its adjustable seats are fully folded, according to the firm. The new model’s trunk has up to 455 liters of space when the seats are pushed forward, 78 liters more than the previous model.  Renault Samsung’s New QM3’s boot space (Renault Samsung)Renault Samsung’s New QM3 al

Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday it will invest $5 million in a US vehicle research and development center, a move aimed at helping it develop next-generation automotive technologies. The South Korean automaking conglomerate has made the investment decision to seek cooperation in next-generation car technologies and test the technologies at a large-scale R&D and test center being built by the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.  This rendered image provided by Hyundai

A vehicle component unit under South Korea’s LG Electronics has established its new base in the United Kingdom to expand its automotive business with car manufacturers in the fast growing European market.The tech giant has opened a research and development center at the University of Warwick Science Park in the city of Coventry, and is registered as a tenant in the academia-industrial cluster, based on information provided by market insiders exclusively to The Korea Herald. The center marks LG’s

Despite the so-called “dieselgate” scandal and aggressive marketing by Japanese carmakers, South Koreans remain largely loyal to German cars such as those by BMW and Mercedes-Benz Korea, data showed.According to BMW Korea on Sunday, some 3,200 BMW 5 Series models were sold in September, making Korea the second-largest market for the automaker after the US.Benz has also continued to top the imported car market here, selling 5,606 vehicles last month, according to the Korea Automobile Importers &

Sales of Korean car makers in Saudi Arabia may pick up after the country lifted a ban on women driving, according to a local trade agency Monday. Saudi Arabia decided last month that it would start allowing women who are in their 30s or older to drive from June 2018, partially ending the controversial regulation. (Yonhap)According to the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, the rule change will create an increase in auto demands as women will emerge as potential drivers. Of the total 10 mill

Samsung Electronics may pick a successor to its CEO and Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun, as early as this week, after the top executive announced plans to retire, corporate sources said Sunday.Insiders familiar with the world’s largest computer chip and smartphone manufacturer said there could be a move to appoint a new chief to head the device salutation and display business area that Kwon is in charge of.The vice chairman announced on Oct. 13 that he plans to step down in early 2018. (Yonhap)“To ge

A plan by SsangYong Motor to build its first overseas plant in China could go back to square one due to growing anti-Korean sentiment in China over the Korean government’s decision to deploy an anti-missile system here, the company’s chief executive said Friday.At a meeting with Korean reporters, SsangYong President and CEO Choi Johng-sik said the plan that involves Shaanxi Automobile Group as a joint venture partner has been making slow progress since a diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Beij

Sales of luxury cars in South Korea exceed those of richer countries, industry data showed Sunday.Numbers provided by foreign carmakers and the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association showed South Koreans bought more new BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz E-class cars than Germans and neighbors in Japan from late last year to early 2017.Data also showed demand for top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz S-class and those made by Rolls-Royce with price tags in the hundreds of millions of won ra

South Korea's transport ministry said Thursday it will require all vehicles and large trucks to have an advanced emergency braking system and lane departure warning system to improve safety on the road. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will revise vehicle safety regulations to require the automatic safety systems as part of efforts to reduce drowsy driving-related crashes.  (Yonhap)Currently, commercial vehicles longer than 11 meters and trucks and special purpose vehic