The Korea Herald

Impala reignites large sedan market competition

Aug 17, 2015

Armed with price competitiveness, powerful design and high-tech safety features, Chevrolet’s Impala, the iconic full-size sedan from General Motors, is quickly emerging as a dark horse in the Korean large family sedan market, whose growth has recently been slow due to lack of new models and the growing popularity of sports utility vehicles. 　CONFIDENCE IN IMPALA -- Marc J. Comeau (left), vice president of marketing at General Motors Korea, and Nichole Kraatz, Impala chief engineer (center) ho
GM enters large sedan market

Aug 11, 2015

GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha poses in front of the silver Impala, GM’s full-size sedan at a launch Tuesday. GM Korea 　 Chevrolet Impala, General Motors’ flagship full-size sedan model with a history of 58 years, debuted in Korea on Wednesday seeking to raise the company’s domestic market share to 10 percent. 　It is the first time for the automaker to enter the large sedan market in Korea. 　“GM Korea is taking an exciting step forward by introducing the best-selling large sedan in U.S. history,” s
BMW, Mercedes-Benz enter premium taxi market

Aug 9, 2015

Mercedes-Benz’s new E350 BlueTEC 4MATIC BMW 530d xDrive BMW and Mercedes-Benz will compete in the local premium taxi market from October as the two German luxury carmakers’ best-selling mid-size luxury saloons were selected for a pilot project last week. 　Seoul City designed the project, partnering with a local taxi association and Daum Kakao, the nation’s biggest messaging company, to cope with app-based international taxi service providers like Uber. 　According to High&, the Seoul City-inv
‘Mercedes me’ reaches out to Busan’s young drivers

Aug 9, 2015

Mercedes-Benz Korea is running a pop-up promotion space dubbed “The Mercedes me” in Busan through Aug. 30 to mingle with a wider range of drivers in the Southeast of the country. This is the second such shop opened by the German carmaker, following the success of the first one near the trendy Garosu-gil district in southern Seoul last year. The Mercedes me Busan store in Gwangalli, Busan (Mercedes-Benz Korea)“We dedicate this place to everyone who is willing to experience the Mercedes-Benz in a
BMW, Mercedes-Benz enter premium taxi market

Aug 9, 2015

BMW 530d xDrive. BMW KoreaBMW and Mercedes-Benz will compete in the local premium taxi market from October as the two German luxury carmakers’ best-selling mid-size luxury saloons were selected for a pilot project last week. Mercedes-Benz’s new E350 BlueTEC 4MATIC. Mercedes-Benz KoreaSeoul City designed the project, partnering with a local taxi association and Daum Kakao, the nation’s biggest messaging company, to provide competition with app-based international taxi service providers like Uber
‘Mercedes me Busan’ reaches out to Busan’s young drivers

Aug 9, 2015

The interior of The Mercedes me Busan. Mercedes-Benz KoreaMercedes-Benz Korea is running a pop-up promotion space dubbed “The Mercedes me” in Busan through Aug. 30 to mingle with a wider range of drivers in the Gyeongsang region. This is the second such shop opened by the German-based carmaker, following the success of the first one near the ultratrendy Garosu-gil district in southern Seoul last year. “We dedicate this place to everyone who is willing to experience the Mercedes-Benz in a more ca
S. Korea's auto output, exports shrink in July

Aug 9, 2015

South Korea's automobile production shrank slightly from a year earlier in July as a cut in exports more than offset a growth in domestic sales, the government said Sunday.In July, the country's overall output of cars came to 404,770 units, down 1.1 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Outbound shipments slipped 2 percent on-year to 258,781 cars, while domestic sales of locally produced cars rose 5 percent to 133,795.The cut in exports wa
Monthly sales of new Hyundai Sonata reaches record high in U.S.

Aug 9, 2015

Sales of the Sonata LF sedan in the United States more than doubled from a year earlier to reach a new monthly high in July, the South Korean manufacturer of the passenger car said Sunday.According to Hyundai Motor Co., 22,109 units of the midsize sedan were sold in the U.S. market last month, up 159 percent from the same month last year.The July figure also marks a 66 percent spike from the previous month.The company attributed the rise to the recent launch of the 2016 year model.Since its laun
Jaguar debuts compact sports sedan XE

Aug 6, 2015

British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover launched Jaguar’s new compact sports sedan XE in Seoul on Thursday with the ambition to create a “game changer” in the segment where German carmakers are dominant. Jaguar unveils its entry-level sports sedan XE at a launch in Seoul on Thursday. Jaguar Land Rover Korea　Bigger competitors of Jaguar XE in the luxury entry-level sedan market are BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class. 　“We are going to deliver British premium experience to young car
Imported car sales in S. Korea jump 14 pct in July

Aug 6, 2015

Sales of imported cars in South Korea jumped 14.3 percent in July from a year earlier, driven by strong demand for German vehicles, industry data showed Thursday.According to the data by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, 20,707 foreign vehicles were newly registered in the country last month, compared with the previous year's 18,112 units.The July registration figure, however, was down 14.7 percent from a month earlier. The latest figure raised the cumulative sales of
Mercedes-Benz Korea expects to sell over 40,000 cars this year

Aug 5, 2015

Mercedes-Benz Korea, the local importer of the luxury German car brand, will be able to sell over40,000 units in South Korea this year given the company's first half performance, the vice president of sales has said.The company will also focus more on launching SUVs over sedans during the remainder of the year, with a plan to introduce all its SUV models in South Korea going forward, Choi Duk-jun added. "We sold around 22,000 units in the first half and expect to sell as many in the latter half,
E-Class model boosts competition in luxury midsize sedan market

Aug 2, 2015

The introduction of a nine-speed transmission offering better fuel economy and driving performance is nothing new in the global automotive industry these days. 　However, car buyers and lovers were excited about the announcement that Mercedes-Benz, with the slogan of “the best or nothing,” would install a nine-speed gearbox in its E-class range back in 2013. As promised, the German carmaker unveiled with a new nine-speed transmission last year and, finally, it debuted in Korea in January this ye
Harley-Davidson Korea hosts cross-country U.S. tour

Aug 2, 2015

In a move to grant its customers an unforgettable journey of a lifetime, Harley-Davidson Korea hosted a cross-country motorcycle tour of 14 nights in the United States, which officially concluded last week.Under the title “Into the Route 66,” the program brought a total of 40 Harley-Davidson customers, their family and company staff on a road trip down the historic Route 66 -- one of the oldest highways in the U.S. also known as the “Mother Road.”The tour kicked off on July 11 from the highway’s
[Photo News] BMW offers ride support to visiting Tom Cruise

Aug 2, 2015

　BMW’S RIDE SUPPORT FOR TOM CRUISE -- U.S actor Tom Cruise, who visited Seoul last Thursday to promote his new action move “Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation,’’ walks toward the event hall in southern SEoul after getting off a BMW 7 Series car, offered by BMW Korea for a VIP ride. He rides BMW M3 and S1000 RR in the movie.
[Photo News] FMK offers facebook visitors free download of Maserati's engine sound

Aug 2, 2015

Forza Motors Korea, the local importer and distributer of Italian supercar Maserati, launches a brand marketing event to offer Koreans a chance to download the engine sound of Maserati GranTurismo between July 31 and Aug. 9 for free on its Facebook page. FMK