Renault Korea said Tuesday its labor and management have agreed to join forces to push for the company’s Busan factory to become a global production base for the French carmaker. According to the company, Renault Korea CEO Stephan Deblaise and Kim Dong-suk, the labor union leader, signed a joint declaration that underscores a win-win partnership and mutual trust. “Based on renewed labor-management relations, we should fulfill our vision as one team. Without cooperation from the lab

Kumho Tire announced Monday that it signed a title sponsorship deal for the Kumho Touring Car Racing World Tour with WSC Group in Lugano, Switzerland, Thursday. The South Korean tire maker plans to supply tires for all the vehicles competing in the 2023 TCR World Tour, an international touring car championship for TCR cars promoted by WSC Group. The Kumho TCR World Tour will be held at locations in Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Uruguay, Argentina, Australia and Macao. In particular, the Bel

New RAV4 combines best qualities of electric, gas cars for city commuters

Hyundai Motor Group said Sunday that four of its cars -- Palisade, Sonata, Genesis G90 and Kia’s Telluride -- have won awards in a crash test held by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, one of the industry's top safety honors. The Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride and Genesis G90 were named as Top Safety Pick+, the highest ranking, while Hyundai Sonata won the second-highest Top Safety Pick. The Telluride, in particular, received the highest rankings in every test category,

South Korean automaker to add all-electric sedan to its portfolio in 2024

Hyundai Motor Group's all-new Grandeur has won the 2023 Car of the Year award, the Korea Automobile Journalists Association announced Wednesday. According to the KAJA, the all-new Grandeur earned an overall score of 80.75 out of 100, closely beating out BMW's 7 series, which received an 80.43. The association reviewed 18 vehicles from 13 brands for the award. (Hyundai Motor Group)

Asiana Airlines said Wednesday it is preparing to expand its international routes by increasing the number of flights to 40 a week on 12 different routes starting next month. This comes along with a recent upsurge in international travel after the steady lifting of travel restrictions as the pandemic has slowed down. “Starting with this initial flight expansion, we will continue our efforts to gradually reopen international travel this year,” an official commented. Asiana plans to fi

Product quality, cash flow cited as key factors for LG to win high-profile deal

South Korea’s imports of gas and coal hit an all-time high last year on surging global energy prices, data showed. The value of gas imports came to $56.7 billion last year, the highest since 1956 when the government began compiling the related data, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The previous record of $36.6 billion was set in 2014. The import value of coal also reached an all-time high of $28.1 billion, surpassing the previous record of $18.3 billion logged in 20

Japanese carmaker to debut eight new EVs this year in Korea, seeking a turnaround after years of supply chain disruptions, diplomatic tensions

South Korean automaker Kia said Monday it will showcase its hydrogen fuel cell all-terrain vehicle concept car on the global stage for the first time at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference 2023 held in the United Arab Emirates' capital city Abu Dhabi this week. According to Kia, the future-fit hydrogen fuel cell ATV concept car is prepared to adapt to coming green policies and can maneuver with tactical quietness.

S. Korean copper foil producer’s 5-year contract from 2024 enough for 1.7 million EVs

Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle Ioniq 5 has been named the Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, adding another accolade to the EV's long list of recognitions, the South Korean automaker announced Sunday. The EV received the World Car of the Year and scored top recognitions in Germany and the UK. According to Hyundai Motor, the Ioniq 5 also got the highest rating from the German automobile magazine Auto Bild in a recent assessment of EVs.

The European Union has begun the final stage of an investigation on Korean Air Co.'s proposed integration with smaller local rival Asiana Airlines Inc. in order to decide whether to approve the deal. The European Commission said it has opened an in-depth investigation of the deal in a press release posted on its homepage Friday (Belgium time). It conducted the first-stage review of the deal based on documents submitted by Korean Air last month. The commission said the deal could reduce comp

Battery supplier SK On looking into problem with US automaker