INCHEON -- BMW Korea unveiled revamped models of the 5 and 6 series sedans on Wednesday, holding the first world premiere event in the country as a foreign carmaker, which was also BMW Group’s first official event since the COVID-19 pandemic. The carmaker displayed three new versions of the 5 Series and the 6 Series Gran Turismo: BMW New 523d, BMW New 530e and BMW New 640i xDrive. The 5 Series will be presented with a lineup of six gasoline and diesel engine types, including 4-cylinde

Auto parts manufacturer to pursue 2,000 R&D projects

Kia Motors’ European subsidiary said Wednesday it plans to launch a micro-size electric vehicle that can replace public transportation amid increased preference for use of private vehicles following the COVID-19 pandemic. “People want to feel safe today. We saw that very clearly from a survey that was done after the coronavirus outbreak in China. People started shifting from public transport to private vehicles. They safer in their own car compared to public transport,” KIA M

South Korean air carriers suffering from the impact of COVID-19 outbreak plan to gradually relaunch their international routes from next month but worries linger over prospects of a business recovery, according to industry sources Tuesday. Low-cost carrier Jin Air said Tuesday that it is resuming five international routes including Incheon-Bangkok, Incheon-Hanoi, Incheon-Taipei, Incheon-Narita and Incheon-Osaka from next month. It comes two months after it suspended the routes over the virus p

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest carmaker, said Tuesday that its plant in Mexico will restart production this week, marking the resumption of operations at all of South Korea's overseas auto plants. The resumption scheduled for Tuesday (Mexico time) comes after Kia Motors put in place all requirements meant to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, a Hyundai spokesman said over the phone. All manufacturers in Mexico are required to check the temperatures of workers, give them

  Korea's top air carrier Korean Air Lines Co. decided Monday to offer 300 billion won ($242 million) worth of new shares as collateral to receive fresh financial support from creditor banks as it seeks to tide over a liquidity crunch. In April, the Korea Development Bank (KDB) and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Exim Bank) decided to extend 1.2 trillion won in liquidity to the country's flag carrier hit by the new coronavirus pandemic. Korean Air and its holding company Hanjin KAL Corp.

South Korean tire manufacturer Kumho Tire said Monday that it bagged a supply deal for Spanish automaker SEAT’s flagship model Ibiza.  The company said Kumho Tire’s Ecowing ES31 185/65R 15 88H is being supplied to SEAT’s bestselling compact hatchback Ibiza since November 2019.  SEAT is the only automaker in Spain, which is owned by the Volkswagen Group. It is known to have Italian design and German technology prowess, according to Kumho Tire. Named after a Spanish

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Monday that it has launched an upgraded third-generation version of its flagship sport utility vehicle the new GLS here.  The seven-seater SUV was first introduced in Korea in October 2016.  “The new GLS will suit the active lifestyle of high-end customers, as it can be dubbed as the S-Class of SUV,” said Mark Raine, vice president of product and marketing at Mercedes-Benz Korea during the unveiling ceremony. S-Class refers to the automaker&rsqu

Automaker’s ambitious model returns with useful voice recognition system

More than 80 percent of vehicle plants in 13 major car-manufacturing countries resumed limited operations as of mid-May as new coronavirus restrictions were eased, an auto industry association said Monday. Vehicle plants in the United States and 12 other major car-manufacturing countries began to restart production, though not in full operation, since mid-April, and more lines are expected to resume operations this month. "It will take some time for the auto plants to return to full op

South Korean carriers are moving to relaunch their long-waited international routes as well as expand domestic flights, slowly recovering from the impact of COVID-19 outbreak, industry sources said Friday. According to the country’s largest LCC by sales Jeju Air, it will resume operation of Incheon-Manila route once a week from June 6.  The airliner said it was due to the demand from Korean residents living in the Philippines.  Jeju Air currently runs service to three oversea

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday that it would recall 549,931 units of 126 models from automakers including Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, BMW Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea, FCA Korea and Audi Volkswagen Korea over defects.  According to the ministry, 294,622 Hyundai Motor vehicles, including Santa Fes, were found to have foreign substances like oil and moisture inside their braking modules. The defect poses a fire hazard, the ministry said.  Cracks were found

Kia Motors said Thursday it is making all-out efforts to break through export woes amid the COVID-19 pandemic by enhancing online sales and services platforms for overseas customers. In this context, Kia Motors President Song Ho-sung visited Pyeongtaek Port, the country’s main gateway for automotive exports, to check the product quality and encourage workers, the automaker said. “The current economic situation is definitely a crisis due to COVID-19, but all divisions at Kia Motors

Air Busan Co., a low-cost affiliate of Asiana Airlines Inc., said Thursday it will resume flights on international routes from July as the new coronavirus outbreak has passed its peak. Air Busan plans to resume services on routes from the southern port city of Busan to Hong Kong and Macao on July 1 and gradually reopen routes to China, Japan and Southeast Asia, the company said in a statement. The budget carrier has suspended all of its international flights since March 8 as countries streng

The number of South Korean air travelers fell to the lowest level in more than two decades in April due to entry restrictions and lower demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed Tuesday. The number of air passengers on domestic and international routes here plunged to 1.35 million last month, down 22 percent from 1.74 million a month earlier and down 87 percent from 10.14 million a year earlier, according to Air Portal, an aviation data provider operated by the Korea Civil Avi