Hyundai-Kia gear up to catch up with Toyota hybridsHyundai Motor and Kia Motors had fallen behind Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in developing fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles.But the nation’s two affiliated companies have plunged into keen competition to dominate the international green car markets by launching the hybrid version of popular sedans this year.“While we have joined the growing

Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo has instructed his staff to actively publicize at home and abroad that Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have become global players with competitive technologies. Chung Mong-kooDespite marked growth in overseas sales, Hyundai and Kia had failed to garner international acknowledgement in the core technology sector.But this year, Chung’s pride and promotion str

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea second largest carmaker, has launched the small-medium K2 sedan in China. Kia’s compact sedan K2. (Yonhap News)More than 500 prominent figures, including Chinese government officials and executives from Hyundai Automotive Group, attended the function in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on July 20.Kia officials said K2 is a compact car strategically designed for Chinese cust

Jean-Marie Hurtiger, the outgoing CEO of Renault Samsung Motors Co., expressed satisfaction over the achievements in his nearly six-year reign and urged the company to continue localizing automotive components. Jean-Marie HurtigerIn his final official interview as chief, Hurtiger said he is proud to have renewed all of RSM’s vehicles, including the SM3, SM5, SM7 and QM5, as well as leading its cus

Kia Motors Corp., the nation’s second-largest carmaker, is increasingly betting on cutting-edge design to expand its market share, and the effort is showing off.Kia vehicles were taking over the first ever Automotive Brand Contest organized by the German Design Council in the past week. It was the winner in four categories. It was ranked “Best of the Best” after the compact Sportage SUV, Rio and a

Porsche AG may develop a supercar positioned higher than the 911 GT2 RS to broaden its line-up and sustain growth as orders cool from record deliveries last year. The car could be combined with additional variants of the Cayman and Boxster as well as extended-wheelbase and convertible versions of the Panamera four-door coupe, Bernhard Maier, Porsche’s sales chief, said in an interview. It would ai

Riding on solid demand from Europe, Renault Samsung Motors Co., exported a record 70,914 cars in the first half of this year, the company said last week. Renault Samsung is the Korean unit of French automaker Renault SA. Renault Samsung CEO Jean-Marie HurtigerThe figure the carmaker unveiled surpassed the previous high of 50,160 units tallied in the first six months of 2010, with the latest surge

 Renault Samsung challenges Hyundai’s dominance with fully revamped premium sedanNAMHAE, South Gyeongsang Province ― Tagging Hyundai Motor’s Grandeur as the sole leader of the mid-sized sedan market is about to get presumptuous with new premium sedans from Renault Samsung and GM Korea. Throughout the years, the Grandeur has dominated the segment and outsold Renault Samsung’s SM7 and GM’s Alpheon.

Ssangyong Motor CEO Lee Yoo-il (right) poses with Mahindra and Mahindra CFO Bharat Doshi (center) and the Indian firm’s president for automotive and farm sector Pawan Goenka at a press conference in Seoul last March. (Ssangyong Motor Co.)Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., the majority shareholder of Ssangyong Motor, has continued to reiterate that it would invest in the automaker on a long-term basis devel

The new Chairman WCompany offers unprecedented seven-year care service plan to customersSsangyong Motor Co., which launched the new Chairman W in the local market last week, is to provide consumers with a long-period guarantee service.The service, dubbed “W Promise 715 program,” offers customers free-of-charge car inspections for seven years, the automaker said in a statement on Monday.Customers

A General Motors Co. Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle is taken for a test drive through the Presidio in San Francisco, California (Bloomberg)Nissan Motor Co., General Motors Co. and other makers of electric and hybrid vehicles will be required by U.S. safety regulators to install warning systems that will automatically sound alerts to pedestrians. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administra