The Korea Herald

BMW i8 sports car to lure enthusiasts in Korea

Jun 26, 2014

The BMW i8 sports car, the German luxury carmaker’s first plug-in hybrid model, will make its Korean debut in the latter half of the year.With the consumption and emission values of a compact, BMW touts the new model as the “most progressive sports car” on the market. The i8 is the second car model of BMW’s Project i, which started in 2008 with the aim of seeking more sustainable and future-oriented mobility. Following the first full-electric compact i3, the i8 is a hybrid that combines an elect
[Best Brand] Renault Samsung hits the spot with SM3 Neo

Jun 25, 2014

Renault Samsung Motors’ SM3 NeoDomestic passenger car - Renault Samsung MotorsRenault Samsung Motors Co. is expanding its presence with the compact sedan the SM3 Neo. Along with the crossover utility vehicles the QM3 and QM5 Neo, the SM3 Neo has been designed under Renault Samsung’s new design identity, accentuated by a European style. In the SM3 Neo, one of Renault Samsung’s best-selling models, LED lights with chrome bezel have been applied to the lower bumper to give the vehicle a stronger l
Korea, U.S. pressure Hyundai

Jun 24, 2014

Carmaker may be forced to concede on replacement parts, low-carbon cooperation
Ford’s mileage refund may affect verdict on Hyundai

Jun 24, 2014

Ford Motor’s recent decision to compensate some 30 South Korean owners for inflated fuel efficiency ― the first of its kind here ― is likely to affect a similar verdict pending for Hyundai Motor this week. Ford announced on June 12 that it was lowering the fuel economy ratings on six new cars and would refund more than 200,000 drivers on the extra money they would spend due to lower-than-promised fuel efficiency. After the voluntary report by the Detroit-based carmaker, Korea’s Transport Ministr
Mercedes-Benz Korea to create CSR fund

Jun 23, 2014

Mercedes-Benz plans to create a social responsibility fund in South Korea, where the top-selling German luxury car brand has often been criticized for being stingy in giving back to society.“Most of the funding will come directly from each car they sell. The amount would be about 0.1 percent of the actual car price,” an industry source close to the matter said Monday on the condition of anonymity. According to Korean officials, Mercedes-Benz Korea, along with two other local operations, Mercedes
(Photo News) SM5 Diesel

Jun 23, 2014

Renault Samsung Motors on Monday unveiled the first diesel-powered version of its best-selling SM5 sedan. The official launch is planned for July. (Renault Samsung Motors)
Ford to compensate Korean customers for overstated fuel efficiency

Jun 23, 2014

U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. will compensate South Korean owners of vehicles for which it overstated the gas mileage, the transportation ministry said Monday.According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 30 Ford vehicles sold here have been found to have worse gas mileage than advertised. This marks the first time that local consumers will be compensated over a mileage gap.The ministry said it may fine the U.S. automaker but did not elaborate on the amount or other details.Th
Infiniti Q50S a savvy performance hybrid

Jun 22, 2014

Sports car crammed with Nissan’s latest technologies, ambitions
Beloved by Chinese women, BMW’s Mini targets men

Jun 22, 2014

How much do women in China love BMW’s Mini? Perhaps a bit too much for Mini’s comfort.Almost 80 percent of Mini owners in China are women, the highest level among any car brand, J.D. Power & Associates estimates. Now, the company is taking pains to give its cars more masculine connotations. Hence the pool table in the Shanghai showroom, and the all-Mini road trip the company recently organized to Tibet.“You don’t want to tip into being a girlie car,” Sean Green, head of Mini’s China business, sa
Maserati to double global dealer network

Jun 22, 2014

Maserati, the maker of exotic cars driven by the likes of designer Ralph Lauren, will double its dealership network to about 500 by 2015 to sustain demand for its Ghibli and Quattroporte luxury sedans.“You need them to support the growth,” Maserati Chief Executive Officer Harald Wester said in an interview with Bloomberg Television yesterday in Modena, Italy, where the carmaker presented an exhibition to celebrate its 100-year anniversary. The brand had 250 sales outlets in 2011.Fiat SpA is inve
Audi Korea to adopt new badging system

Jun 22, 2014

Audi Korea announced Thursday that it will introduce a brand new badging system, dubbed Dynamic Badge, by end of June to provide consumers with a more pragmatic assessment of a car’s performance. The new badging involves a series of calculations using a car’s 0 to 100 kilometers per hour acceleration time in order to depict a number that indicates the approximate acceleration the driver will experience.Compared to the current method, which merely identifies the engine displacement like in the 2.
Hyundai Motor tops U.S. quality survey for mass market brands

Jun 19, 2014

Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s largest carmaker, reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in J.D. Power’s latest quality study after being nudged out in 2009, the company said Thursday.The 2014 initial quality study (IQS) by the U.S.-based global marketing company showed Hyundai Motor receiving 94 points, leading the pack among 20 high-volume brands examined.The top ranking represents the first time the company has retaken the title since 2009. It also marks an improvement from the fifth-place finish for mass
Hyundai Motor Group car sales in China jump 10% in May

Jun 16, 2014

Hyundai Motor Group, the world’s fifth-largest automotive conglomerate, said Monday its sales in China jumped 10 percent on-year in May, fueled by strong demand for its popular models.The conglomerate said combined sales by its flagship companies Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. in the neighboring country stood at 143,121 units last month, up from 130,093 a year earlier.The two companies sell cars through local affiliates Beijing Hyundai Motor Co. and Dongfeng Yueda Kia Automobile Co.The t
New Golfs highlight VW’s compact class

Jun 15, 2014

Volkswagen Korea, one of the fastest-growing carmakers here, is looking to the latest high-performance versions of its top-selling Golf compact to secure market supremacy in the soaring compact car segment. The Korean unit of the biggest German carmaker posted a stunning 39.4 percent growth in 2013, with 25,649 unit sales. And behind the staggering performance is the Golf. More recently, Volkswagen has launched the popular model’s sportier versions ― the GTI and GTD ― aiming to appeal to young c
Tesla chief Musk applies contrarian style to patents

Jun 15, 2014

Elon Musk wants to apply the contrarian style that made him millions of dollars from PayPal and billions from rocket ships and electric cars, to revolutionize the litigious world of patents.Tesla Motors Inc. became a rarity among automakers when Musk yesterday pledged that inventions on his electric cars and batteries will be free for anyone to use “in good faith.” The move may speed the adoption of technology that Musk needs to make his fledging line of cars more than a luxury niche.Patents are