General Motors on Friday named Roberto Rampel, current president of GM Technical Center Korea, as president and CEO of GM Korea. Rempel, an engineering specialist, will start his term on June 1 when his predecessor Kaher Kazem leaves for his new role as executive vice president of SAIC-GM in China. GM expressed high hopes for the new CEO in winning more customers in both domestic and exports markets, and improving the overall competitiveness of GM’s Korean operations. “The GM K

INJE, Gangwon Province - Toyota’s iconic motorsports car Gazoo Racing 86 is back, 10 years after its second-generation model was launched in South Korea. And while other models are sold on green credentials, the carmaker has made a play for petrolheads with the third generation of the car, increasing the size of the engine by 20 percent to 2.4 liters, and offering a maximum torque of 25.5 kilogram-meters. Design-wise, the GR86 is unremarkable, looking like a typical sports car that can b

Carmaker reportedly to announce another mega investment plan to build EV plant in US during Biden's visit

Hyundai Motor’s IONIQ 5 loaded with Level 4 self-driving technology has started delivering food in California. Motional, a US autonomous vehicle company that Hyundai Motor Group and US mobility startup Aptiv formed, and Uber Eats began operating their pilot program of automated delivery service in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday. The partnership was announced in December. At Level 4, a vehicle can drive itself under limited conditions and will not operate if all required conditions

South Korean sports utility vehicle maker SsangYong Motor unveiled its new mid-size electric SUV called Torres on Tuesday, scheduled to be launched next month. The launch of the new vehicle came amid growing financial pressure on the SUV maker, which has been struggling to find a new suitable buyer. The new vehicle was named after the Torres del Paine National Park located in Chile’s Patagonia region, a place often known as “the end of the world.” “We adopted the name T

Not only delivery delay, carflation is also on the way due to supply shortage, price hike in raw materials

Renault Korea Motors has added a new trim called Inspire to its XM3 SUV, which has been lauded for its distinct, upscale design. Named after the show car unveiled at the 2019 Seoul Motor Show, XM3 Inspire comes in two colors -- cloud pearl and sonic red. The Inspire trim of the compact SUV features ventilated leather seats, heated rear seats, customized ceilings, a shield to minimize wind noise when driving at high speeds and small design touches such as red lines on the air curtain, side fend

Volvo is close to catching up to German automaker Audi, which kept its title as the third top selling foreign car brand in South Korea, data showed Monday. According to Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, Volvo Korea sold a total of 1,332 units in April overtaking Audi Korea which sold 1,051 units the same month. Compared to sales in March, Volvo Korea saw a 1.8 percent on-month sales increase in April while Audi Korea’s sales dropped by 9 percent. In April, Volvo

Self-driving car has fully reclining heated seats, seat belt-like blankets

A Seoul court on Friday selected a local consortium led by chemical-to-steel firm KG Group as the preliminary bidder for SsangYong Motor ahead of the auction beginning later this month to find a new investor for the carmaker. The new auction comes two months after local electric bus maker Edison Motors Co. failed to make a full payment of 304.8 billion won (US$249 million) for the debt-laden SsangYong Motor by the March 25 deadline. SsangYong and its lead manager EY Hanyoung accounting firm ac

On news reports that South Korea’s auto giant Hyundai Motor is set to announce a $7 billion investment plan in US, market experts said Friday that the carmaker appears to have done the math: lucrative state incentives, tax benefits, growing demand for electric vehicles and perhaps, proximity of battery supply from its fellow South Korean company SK Innovation. The world’s fifth-largest carmaker will unveil the plan to build an EV plant during US president Joe Biden’s state vis

Hyundai Motor on Thursday launched the 2022 Hyundai Grandeur, a facelifted version of its top-selling mid-sized sedan car. Coming back with revamped style and safety functions, a 12.3-inch LCD cluster and a touch-type controller have been adopted for all four trims – Premium, Le Blanc, Exclusive and Calligraphy. The Exclusive trim features advanced safety features like forward collision avoidance assist and smart cruise control, while the highest end Calligraphy is equipped with a head-u

The airport express train, which runs nonstop from Seoul Station to Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, will resume operation from May 30 after a hiatus of about two years due to the pandemic. Check-in for Korean airlines and immigration service will also be available at the City Airport Terminal in Seoul Station. “As we are resuming the express train service after two years, we are preparing new services to enhance customers’ convenience and conducting thoroug

Chinese carmaker secures production footholds in Gunsan, Busan for hybrids, EVs, but entry to local consumer market remains uncertain, experts say

Hyundai Motor Group will construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) cogeneration facility inside its automotive manufacturing plant in Ulsan to secure a stable power supply while reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the carmaker on Monday, it plans to digest over 70 percent of annual electricity used at the country’s largest automotive plant through the new LNG power facility. The new facility, comprising two gas turbines and one steam turbine, will have th