The Korea Herald

Kia Motors sales up 21.8% in June

Jul 10, 2011

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, said Friday that its sales in June rose21.8 percent from a year earlier as a jump in overseas sales offset decreased domestic demand.The company sold 217,315 vehicles overall last month, compared with 178,391 vehicles sold a year earlier. Domestic sales dropped 5 percent on-year to 42,200 units in June, but exports spiked 30.7 percent to 17
GM goes full throttle in race against rivals

Jul 10, 2011

Mike Arcamone, CEO and President of GM Korea (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)The race is on. GM Korea, the nation’s No.3 carmaker, is out to challenge its big-time rival Hyundai Motor Co. by betting big on superior quality and designs.“We’re going to challenge. We’re going to challenge our competition in all the segments, but in particular in areas where we have not competed before,” Mike Arcamone, CEO
Volkswagen launches new Touareg crossover SUV in S. Korea

Jul 4, 2011

(Yonhap News) Volkswagen Korea, the local importer of German automaker Volkswagen AG, introduced the latest version of its Touareg crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) in South Korea on Monday. The mid-size model has a wider wheelbase compared to the older model but its weight has been brought down by a maximum 201 kilograms. It also comes with an eight-gear automatic transmission, a first for
Honda Accord on promotional offer

Jul 3, 2011

Honda AccordHonda Korea is offering special deals for the Accord mid-sized sedan until the end of the month in celebration of selling more than 40,000 units here, the company said.The company is offering a complimentary DVD-navigation system and free check-ups for up to five years, all on top of 1 million won ($939) cash coupons.
New Hyundai Motor Santa Fe SUV on market

Jul 3, 2011

Hyundai Motor Co., Korea’s largest carmaker, said Friday that it started selling the 2012 model Santa Fe sport utility vehicle on the local market.The updated model of the popular SUV has a restyled radiator grille, new headlights and positioning lamps that improve the overall attractiveness of the vehicle, the company said.It also said the new Santa Fe will have 18-inch aluminum wheels, a black h
Toyota recalls 114,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide

Jul 3, 2011

Toyota Motor Corp said it would recall about 114,000 hybrid cars in Japan, Europe and the United States because of faulty transistors in control boards.Toyota said it would conduct a voluntary safety recall in the U.S. involving about 45,500 Highlander hybrid sports utility vehicles and 36,700 Lexus RX 400h sports utility vehicles.Some transistors in the recalled cars were “inadequately soldered a
Korean carmakers fly high on exports

Jul 3, 2011

Toyota and other Japanese car sales down more than a fifth in JuneLocal automakers led by Hyundai, Kia and SsangYong reported all-time high sales with double-digit growth in the first half, benefiting from the demand-drop for Japanese vehicles after the March earthquake.Domestic sales at Hyundai Motor Co., the industry leader, jumped 7.2 percent on-year to 344,422 units in the January-June period.
Porsche Cayenne surging in China

Jul 3, 2011

Porsche CayenneChina surpassed the U.S. as the world’s largest car market on sales of sedans. Future growth lies with sport-utility vehicles. SUV deliveries rose 30 percent this year through May, compared with a 6 percent gain for total passenger-car sales, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Sales of SU
Audi’s convertible supercar targets Ferrari

Jul 3, 2011

Audi AG is taking aim at Ferrari SpA with a convertible version of the R8 GT supercar, as the Volkswagen AG unit hones a high-end sporty image in its quest to overtake Bayerische Motoren Werke AG as the luxury-car leader. The R8 GT Spyder, Audi’s most expensive series production car, boasts carbon-fiber in the front and rear spoilers to reduce weight and help the car accelerate to 100 kilometers p
BMW widens sales of luxury cars in U.S.

Jul 3, 2011

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW brand outsold Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz last month, expanding its lead as the top-selling luxury auto brand in the U.S. so far this year.BMW’s U.S. sales, helped by deliveries of the new 5 Series sedan and sport-utility vehicles, rose 13 percent last month to 21,637 compared with a year earlier, the Munich-based automaker said yesterday in a statement.Mercedes sa
Hyundai-Kia overtakes 6 competitors in a decade

Jun 29, 2011

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors emerged as one the world’s top five automakers in global sales last year, selling more than 5 million vehicles.About a decade ago, the two companies under the wing of Hyundai Motor Group ranked 11th worldwide in total sales volume.Climbing six notches in less than 10 years was not a simple accomplishment, as it required stepping over global players includ
Mercedes-Benz introduces new CLS 63 AMG

Jun 26, 2011

Mercedes-Benz Korea, the local unit of the luxury car division of Daimler AG, has introduced the second-generation of its passenger vehicle, the CLS 63 AMG, in Korea.The new CLS 63 AMG comes with a new V8 5.5-liter biturbo engine that is smaller than the 6.2-liter engine in the previous version, but generates more horsepower and torque while consuming less gasoline. Mercedes-BenzThe new engine pro
Renault Samsung launches New QM5 crossover car

Jun 26, 2011

Renault Samsung Motors on Sunday unveiled its updated QM5 crossover utility vehicle that aims to enhance the carmaker’s image as a quality manufacturer of upper-end cars.The new QM5 is a makeover of the existing vehicle with streamlined exterior lines, rearranged headlamps and a radiator grille that gives it a more “urban” style that could be more attractive to Korean consumers.The company, which
Hyundai-Kia shifts consumer target in U.S.

Jun 26, 2011

Portion of small vehicles continues to drop in American sales over a decadeHyundai Motor had been regarded as a minor player in the United States and had focused on finding a niche. Its main target was the small-sized vehicle market.Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors saw small vehicles account for more than half in their North American sales in 2001.But the portion of small cars in Hyundai
Hyundai supports parts makers in Europe

Jun 23, 2011

In road show, Italy focuses on Korean auto parts makersHyundai Motor Group held a fair in Italy to give Korean auto parts manufacturers the opportunity to make inroads into the southern European market.The automotive group said Thursday that it held a “Fiat Tech Fair,” a road show for auto components, at Fiat Group Automobiles in Turin, Italy. Hyundai Mobis, a unit of Hyundai Motor Group, hosted t