Hyundai Motor Group’s sales of specific models -- hybrid, plug-in, electric and hydrogen-powered -- in the local market jumped over 36 percent in the first half of this year, indicating a growing preference for eco-friendly cars.  The top South Korean automaker said Sunday its sales of the eco-friendly cars stood at 67,798 as of June, up by 36.2 percent compared to the same period last year.  Specifically, it sold a total of 37,697 units, up by 29.3 percent on-year, while Kia

Renault Samsung Motors said Thursday it will export the first batch of 83 units of its sport utility vehicle XM3 manufactured at its Busan plant to Chile, pushing ahead with its overseas expansion. The automaker said the vehicles will be shipped on July 25 to be displayed at showrooms in the South American country, offering test drives for customers.  By the year-end, the company plans to export 57 more units to Chile. The five-seater XM3 was launched in March here, topping the local B-

German carmaker Audi Volkswagen Group’s two flagship brands have made a full-fledged comeback in the local imported car market, making a fourfold sales jump in the first half this year, industry data showed Wednesday.  The feat comes four years after the emission-fraud scandal dubbed “dieselgate” severely hurt sales of its dominant brands here.  In 2015, Audi and VW cars were found to have used software to cheat on diesel emissions tests on some 11 million car

Casting more doubt over the controversy-ridden merger of two budget carriers, Jeju Air reiterated its warning on Tuesday that it will cancel its acquisition contract if Eastar Jet fails to meet prerequisites by July 15. Jeju Air, South Korea’s largest low cost carrier by sales, released a statement that the company has “done its best” to close the acquisition deal since it signed the contract to acquire a 51.17 percent stake in rival LCC Eastar Jet for 54.5 billion won ($45 m

Hyundai Motor Group said Monday it has begun mass-producing hydrogen-powered electric trucks and has sent a batch of shipments -- first in the world -- to Switzerland from Gwangyang Port, South Jeolla Province. Global automakers have produced prototypes or concept models of hydrogen-powered trucks, but Hyundai Motor is the first to mass-produce them.  South Korea’s leading automaker said it will expand the application of hydrogen fuel cell technology to commercial vehicles and ceme

The Korea Automobile Journalists Association said Monday that it has selected German carmaker Audi’s luxury sedan the New Audi A4 as its car of the month. Every month, the association selects its best model among new vehicles and face-lifted versions that were launched within the past month, based on five criteria including exterior, interior design, practicality, safety and comfort features, product marketability and purchasing intent.  For July, the Lexus UX F Sport, which was la

Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mi met with executives of HDC Group, Aekyung Group and Eastar Jet on Friday to urge their air carrier merger deals, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.  Kim reportedly had discussions with HDC Group Chairman Chung Mong-kyu, Aekyung Group Vice Chairman Chae Hyung-seok and former Eastar Jet Group Chairman Lee Sang-jik and was briefed on the status of the respective merger deals. HDC Group, which owns midsized builder HDC Hyundai Deve

South Korean midsized builder HDC Hyundai Development Co. said Friday that it has received approval from Russian aviation authorities for HDC’s planned takeover of flag carrier Asiana Airlines, but added that renegotiation of the acquisition terms is still underway. Regarding the merger deal involving the air carrier, HDC had to receive approval from six of the nations that Asiana flies to as a prerequisite.  HDC had planned to complete the deal by the end of April after regulators

Amid the aggravating political sentiment between US and China over the imposition of Hong Kong‘s security law, South Korean conglomerates with overseas branches in Hong Kong can possibly seek to relocate their offices to different cities, a report said Friday.  On Thursday, US lawmakers unanimously approved new Hong Kong-related sanctions that would penalize banks which do business with Chinese officials, after the Chinese government imposed a security law that has been widely conde

Hyundai Motor announced Thursday the launch of a small-sized truck Porter 2-based camping car Porest, which can fit up to four adults. Porest -- a combination of “Porter” and “rest” -- was developed under the concept of moving house and will be launched next week here.  Amid increasing consumer demand for camping cars, the automaker said it has focused on making Porest’s interior space practical.  According to government data, the number of registered

Hyundai Glovis, a logistics unit of Hyundai Motor Group, said Thursday that it has clinched an exclusive five-year contract with Volkswagen Konzernlogistik, which deals in the logistics of European carmaker Volkswagen Group, for transporting their cars from Europe to China.  Volkswagen Konzernlogistik is based in Wolfsburg, Germany, and controls logistics, production and sales of vehicles from Volkswagen Group’s 12 finished car brands such as Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Bentley.&n

South Korea’s Hyundai Mobis said Thursday it has injected 25 billion won ($20 million) in Silicon Valley tech funds ACVC Partners and MOTUS Ventures, as part of its move to secure future mobility technology and next-generation business opportunities.  ACVC Partners and MOTUS Ventures have been actively discovering and supporting startups which focus on developing future mobility core technologies, including next-generation sensors, biometrics and robotics.  Hyundai Motor Group

Han Sung Motor, an official dealer of Mercedes-Benz in Korea, said Wednesday it has launched the AMG Playground membership club for its customers, offering opportunities for activities and networking among Mercedes-AMG owners.  AMG Playground has invited new owners of Mercedes-AMG vehicles to join the club. Those who purchased more than two Mercedes-AMG vehicles at Han Sung Motor since 2017 or those who have purchased a vehicle in the Mercedes-AMG GT lineup will be categorized as AMG Mani

Audi Korea said Wednesday the brand’s first electric-powered sport utility vehicle Audi e-tron 55 quattro has been launched in Korea.  Audi e-tron 55 quattro had its world premiere in San Francisco in 2018. Sales began in Europe in March last year.  As the brand’s very first all-electric SUV, the automaker said it focused on the vehicle’s power and high-efficient energy recovery function that works through two electric motors. Audi e-tron 55 quattro exerts a m

Hyundai Motor on Tuesday rolled out a face-lifted version of its signature midsized sport utility vehicle Santa Fe, which has been built on a new platform. The new Santa Fe is a refreshed version of the fourth-generation model that was launched in 2018.  The model has gone through drastic exterior and interior design changes, including the T-shape Daytime Running Light and a wide radiator grille which has been designed under a concept “Eagle’s eye,” according to the aut