The organizing committee of the second International Electric Vehicle Expo on Tuesday invited U.S. EV-maker Tesla back to the event. “The Jeju governor and I have visited the Tesla Motor manufacturing site and we have sent a joint invitation but have yet to receive an RSVP,” said Kim Dae-hwan, chairman of the expo organizing committee, at a press conference later in the day. The expo is slated to be held at the ICC Jeju from March 6-15 with more than 80,000 visitors expected. “If Tesla learns ab

South Korea's top auto affiliate duo Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. lost some footing at home, barely holding on to their 60-percent threshold last month, data showed Friday as other market tallies indicated imported brands were quickly gaining customers.  The combined share of the two affiliates in the South Korean car market stood at 60.7 percent in January, with 31.9 percent for Hyundai and the remaining 28.8 percent taken by Kia, according to industry data.   Compared to last year's

Renault Samsung Motors Co., the local unit of French carmaker Renault S.A., said Thursday it is looking to increase its production of the Rogue sport utility vehicle by 37.5 percent this year to help keep up with rising demand for the model in the United States.   As per request from the Renault Nissan Alliance, Renault Samsung's main production plant in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, will jack up its output of the SUV to 11,000 units from the previous 8,000 units, the company said in

The head of BMW Korea, the local unit of German carmaker BMW, said Thursday he expects double-digit sales growth in South Korea to continue this year on the back of strong demand and expanding customer base.  The growth outlook followed a milestone sales figure achieved by BMW last year in the country, where it sold more than 40,000 vehicles for the first time as a foreign carmaker.  "We usually do not disclose exact figures on sales, but we expect to continue a double-digit growth this year," K

Imported car sales in South Korea hit an all-time monthly high in January on growing demand for European and Japanese vehicles here, industry data showed Thursday.  According to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, a total of 19,930 foreign-branded vehicles were registered last month, up from 14,849 units tallied a year earlier. The figure was also up 16.4 percent from the previous month.   This marked the largest monthly sales since last July when 18

Hyundai Motor Co. has been a household name in the South Korean car market for decades as the country's primary carmaker. With the widely popular Sonata lineup, the midsize vehicle segment has been a longtime forte for the automaker.   Imported brands, however, have worked their way into South Korea in recent years, with their market share jumping to 13.92 percent last year, nearly double the 6.92 percent from 2010, according to data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors As

Sales of Volkswagen Group's Golf hatchback outstripped that of Hyundai Motor Co.'s i30 compact last year, data showed Wednesday, the first time that a foreign brand has done better than a local automaker in a particular segment.  Volkswagen sold 7,238 units of the Golf in South Korea for the whole of last year, soaring 24 percent on-year to surpass Hyundai's 6,644 units, according to industry data. This marks the first time for Hyundai's i30 to lag behind its competitor since it was launched in

Hyundai Motor Group, the world's No. 5 auto conglomerate, said Wednesday its January sales in the United States reached an all-time high, giving hope that its affiliate duos may continue to do well following favorable results for the U.S. market last year.   Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America, the distribution and marketing arms of the conglomerate in the U.S. market, said they each sold 44,505 and 38,299 units last month, moving up by a respective 1 percent and 3.5 percent from the pr

Hyundai Motor Co.'s i20 supermini and Kia Motors Corp.'s Sorento sport utility vehicle each were named winners for an international design award, the two companies said Tuesday.   The latest edition of the i20 hatchback from Hyundai won the 2015 International Forum Design Award in the product design segment, while Kia's midsize crossover SUV clinched the same prize under the transportation design segment, the carmakers said in a press release.   The award is a first for South Korea's top carmake

South Korea's top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Monday it plans to lower the price of its hydrogen-powered Tucson ix in Europe, a move that could boost its sales against overseas rivals in the green car market."The timing and other details of the markdown are not yet decided and will depend on the business conditions in Europe, but some predict that an announcement might be made during the Geneva International Motor Show (next month)," a Hyundai Motor official said, adding that the price cut w