[Photo News] Kia electrifies Paju with Wible Biz

Starting Monday, Kia will operate its electric vehicle-sharing service, "Wible Biz," in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The eco-friendly subscription service enables companies or organizations to rent an electric vehicle during designated business hours on weekdays, while individuals can drive them to commute to work or during weekends. With the service launch, Paju City government officials will use 10 Kia Niro EV vehicles. Other city governments currently subscribed to the service include

July 12, 2024

Genesis to launch GV60 Magma in Korea next year

Genesis will launch the GV60 Magma, a high-performance electric compact crossover sports utility vehicle, in Korea next year to mark the first Magma model to undergo mass production, Hyundai Motor Group's luxury auto brand announced at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed in England's Chichester on Thursday. According to the automaker, the sales of the GV60 Magma are expected to begin during the third quarter of next year in Korea and follow in Europe in the fourth quarter. The company

July 11, 2024

Korea to boost affordability of EVs with new battery recycling scheme

Starting in 2027, consumers in Korea can look forward to purchasing more affordable electric vehicles equipped with reconditioned and tested used batteries. The Korean government, during a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok on Wednesday, unveiled a plan to support the used battery industry, announcing a series of laws, systems, and infrastructure projects. This initiative aims to tackle the growing environmental issue of waste batteries by

July 10, 2024

Korean battery-makers eye turnaround in mass-market EVs

The global battery industry is showing signs of a comeback amid a challenging market, with LG Energy Solution as one of the companies leading the charge. Their advanced nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries, typically reserved for pricier electric vehicles, are set to power upcoming mass-market models such as Kia’s EV3 and General Motors’s Chevrolet Equinox EV, setting the stage for a new era of affordable, high-performance electric vehicles. The past year has been tough for the EV batte

July 9, 2024

[KH Explains] How a hand gesture can turn into a corporate crisis

Renault Korea, the Korean subsidiary of French carmaker Renault S.A., is grappling with a backlash over promotional videos that included a controversial finger-pinching gesture perceived as offensive towards men in South Korea. This gesture has a charged history here, as previous backlashes against it appearing on other content have threatened the sales and reputations of companies and even government institutions. In a video promoting the carmaker's new Renault Grand Koleos vehicle, posted

July 7, 2024

Posco invites Canada JV managers for technical, quality control training

Posco Future M, the battery materials company affiliated with Posco Group, said Thursday it has conducted technical training for key employees of its joint venture project with General Motors in Quebec, Canada. A total of 21 members of Ultium CAM, the cathode material-making joint venture set up with the US auto giant General Motors in May 2022, participated in a monthlong program held at the firm’s training center in Seoul and its cathode materials plant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Provin

July 4, 2024

[Photo News] Kia EV3, Car of the Month

The Korea Automobile Journalists Association on Thursday announced that the Kia EV3, the latest all-electric subcompact crossover sports utility vehicle, has been named the Car of the Month for July. The Kia EV3 beat out the competitors -- the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet, the new Mini Countryman and the new Jeep Wrangler 4xe -- which were launched in the Korean market last month with an overall score of 35 points out of 50. Established in August 2010, the KAJA consists of 58 media outlet

July 4, 2024

Maserati seeks revitalization in Korea

Italian luxury auto brand Maserati on Wednesday signaled a new beginning in Korea as it launched a regional office, seeking a revitalization in the local market. “Maserati for more than 110 years has delivered the excitement on the road in terms of performance, design, innovation and luxury,” said Davide Grasso, CEO of Maserati, in a press conference at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. “Today we are emphasizing our focus in the market as a luxury brand with extreme confidence.

July 3, 2024

Hyundai Motor completes EV ecosystem in Indonesia

Hyundai Motor Group has launched a new joint battery cell manufacturing facility with LG Energy Solution in Indonesia, set to supply cells for Hyundai's upcoming Kona Electric. This makes Hyundai the first automaker in Indonesia with a fully localized production ecosystem for electric vehicles, spanning from battery cells to finished vehicles. Hyundai Motor Group celebrated the opening of the joint HLI Green Power plant in Indonesia's Karawang New Industry City on Wednesday. The event,

July 3, 2024

LG Energy Solution lands major LFP battery deal with Renault

LG Energy Solution, South Korea's largest electric vehicle battery maker, has secured its first major order for lithium-iron-phosphate batteries from French auto giant Renault Group's EV unit Ampere. The contract, announced in Paris on Monday, will see LG Energy Solution supplying pouch LFP batteries for Renault’s next-generation electric vehicles over five years, from late 2025 to 2030. It involves producing about 39 gigawatt-hours of batteries, enough to power approximately 5

July 2, 2024

Hyundai Motor takes aim at Southeast Asia

Hyundai Motor Group is looking to spearhead the burgeoning auto markets within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, based on its established footings in a number of countries in that region, the South Korean auto conglomerate said Monday. According to the automaker, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia, the conglomerate’s first vehicle manufacturing plant in the ASEAN region, rolled out 22,520 units in the first quarter of this year to reach an overwhelming operation rate

July 1, 2024

[Photo News] Kia for kids

Kia said Monday that it opened up a mobility career experience center at KidZania, a work-experience theme park where children can try various real-life jobs, in Busan. Kia's mobility career experience center consists automotive research facilities, test course of driver's license and driving tracks where young visitors can get a chance to check out different occupations in the mobility sector. The automaker's job world for kids marked the second edition after it set up the previo

July 1, 2024

[Reporter’s Notebook] Busan ‘International’ Mobility Show and BMW

The 2024 Busan International Mobility Show began at Bexco in Korea’s second-largest southeastern port city on Thursday, just like any other global auto exhibition. The press day allowed numerous journalists to take a firsthand look at what the event had in store. However, despite the global intentions behind the title of the event, the exhibition venue had only one auto importer present: BMW Group Korea. BMW Group Korea President Han Sang-yun noted in his presentation that the German autom

June 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Renault Grand Koleos is like Chanel’

BUSAN -- The Korean-tailored features, positioning and unique name of the Grand Koleos, the sports utility vehicle Renault Korea debuted at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show last week, will lure Korean customers, according to the CEO of the French automaker’s local office. “This car is completely answering to a different proposal that we can give as a French brand,” said Renault Korea CEO Stephane Deblaise in an interview with the Korea Automobile Journalists Associa

June 30, 2024

Hyundai Motor donates recovery vehicle for Jeju firefighters

Hyundai Motor Group announced Thursday that it donated a hydrogen-powered bus to support the recovery of firefighters in Jeju Island. The donation ceremony took place at the CFI Energy Future Center, located within the hydrogen production demonstration complex in eastern Jeju. Among the attendees were Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and officials from relevant ministries. “We have consistently upheld our responsibilities as a mobility company to prioritize firefighter safe

June 27, 2024

[BIMOS 2024] BMW M4, iX2 make Korean debut

BUSAN -- BMW Group Korea exhibited the new high-performance model M4 and the brand’s first all-electric sports activity coupe, the iX2, for the first time in Korea at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show on Thursday. As the only import auto brand taking part in the local auto exhibition, BMW Korea rolled out 18 models including the new Mini Countryman JCW, the new all-electric Mini Cooper and the new BMW M 1000 XR at the event, which will welcome visitors at Bexco from Friday to July

June 27, 2024

[BIMOS 2024] Kia showcases EV mass appeal

BUSAN -- Kia on Thursday outlined its vision for realizing an all-electric vehicle ecosystem with the lineup of various EVs and purpose-built vehicles, or PBVs, at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show. The second largest automaker by sales under Hyundai Motor Group displayed its EV portfolio spearheaded by the latest subcompact crossover electric sports utility vehicle the EV3 at the biannual auto exhibition that will be open for the public from Friday to July 7 at Bexco in Busan. The auto

June 27, 2024

[BIMOS 2024] Hyundai Motor premieres Casper Electric

BUSAN -- Hyundai Motor debuted the Casper Electric, the Korean automaker’s newest small all-electric sports utility vehicle, at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show held at Bexco on Thursday. Hyundai Motor underscored that the Casper Electric is expected to lay out new standards to lead the popularization of EVs, with its unique marketability and affordable price. Equipped with a 49-kilowatt-hour nickel, cobalt and manganese -- or NCM -- battery, the EV boasts 315 kilometers of drivi

June 27, 2024

[BIMOS 2024] Renault Korea eyes breakthrough with new SUV

BUSAN -- Renault Korea premiered the Grand Koleos, the first new car from the French automaker in four years, at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show on Thursday as the brand vowed to turn around its ailing sales in the local market. “This car perfectly embodies our core values of design: human-centric focus and modernity,” said Renault Korea CEO Stephane Deblaise in a press conference at Bexco. “We are excited to launch the new Grand Koleos as a world premiere, highlight

June 27, 2024

[Photo News] EV partnership

Posco Future M and General Motors' Korean office celebrated the launch of the Cadillac Lyriq, an all-electric midsize luxury sport utility vehicle, in front of the Posco Group headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday. Top officials from the Korean battery materials producer and American automaker, including Yoo Byeong-og (second from right), CEO of Posco Future, and Hector Villarreal (second from left), chief of GM Korea, celebrated the companies' collaboration in crafting the luxury EV with

June 26, 2024