Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday it will temporarily suspend another domestic plant next week due to an electronic parts shortage. Hyundai will halt the operation of the Asan plant, 100 kilometers south of Seoul, which produces the Grandeur and Sonata sedans, from Monday to Tuesday, a company spokesman said over the phone. Previously, the country's biggest carmaker said it would suspend the No. 1 plant in Ulsan, 414 km southeast of Seoul, which produces the IONIQ 5 all-electric car and the Kona s

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, on Thursday launched the K8 sedan, the first model under its new brand logo, in the domestic market. The K8 comes with a 2.5-liter gasoline, 3.5-liter gasoline or 3.5-liter liquefied petroleum injection engine. The model with a 1.6-liter gasoline turbo hybrid engine will be released next month, the company said in a statement. Kia has received 24,000 preorders for the new sedan in the past 12 working days, already achieving 30 percent of its s

Financially troubled carmaker SsangYong Motor Co. said Thursday it will suspend the operation of its local plant for a week due to lack of semiconductor chips. SsangYong will halt its plant in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, from April 8-16, with a plan to resume operations on April 19, the company said in a regulatory filing. The SUV-focused carmaker resumed operations on March 2 after halting the Pyeongtaek plant for 16 days in February as its subcontractors refused to supply parts

Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it has suspended a domestic plant that produces the Ioniq 5 all-electric model due to a chip shortage. Hyundai said it will halt the operation of the No. 1 plant in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul, which also produces the Kona subcompact SUV, due to lack of parts from April 7-14, a company spokesman said.  The weeklong suspension comes amid lack of semiconductor parts used in the Kona's front vehicle camera system and a problem in Hyundai Mobis

After nearly five years of preparations, budget airline begins service from Cheongju

The power struggle over Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Hanjin Group, seemed to settle at last as the three-way alliance of an estranged sister of the Korean Air chairman, an activist fund and a builder officially disbanded, industry data showed Friday. In a regulatory filing, Grace Holdings, which is a special purpose firm of the activist fund Korea Corporate Government Improvement, Bando Engineering and Construction and Cho Hyun-ah said they have ended their agreement for joint ownership

Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Corp., South Korea's two biggest carmakers, said Friday their combined US sales jumped 76 percent in March from a year earlier on robust demand for their SUV models. Hyundai and Kia sold a total 141,926 vehicles in the United States last month from 80,531 units a year ago, according to the companies' sales data. "Strong consumer confidence, stable inventory, a compelling lineup, attention-grabbing advertising and the efforts of our dealer partners all c

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, said Thursday its sales gained 19 percent last month from a year earlier on solid demand for SUVs. Kia sold 251,362 vehicles in March, up from 231,543 units a year ago, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales reached 51,011 units last month, nearly the same level from a year earlier. Overseas sales rose 11 percent on-year to 200,351 units due to the low base effect from last year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the automotive industry, it

Hyundai Motor Co. said Thursday its sales jumped 22 percent last month from a year earlier on robust demand for its SUV models despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The country's biggest carmaker sold 375,924 vehicles in March, up from 307,176 units a year earlier, helped by strong demand for the Palisade SUV, the Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle, the Genesis GV70 and GV80 SUVs, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales climbed 2.3 percent to 73,810 units from 72,180 during the same per

Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Thursday its sales plunged 43.2 percent last month from a year earlier due to weak domestic deman. The South Korean unit of Renault S.A. sold 8,572 vehicles in March, down from 15,100 units a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales tumbled 52.7 percent on-year to 5,695 units last month, and exports slid 6.8 percent to 2,877 units over the cited period, the company said. A total of 102 Renault Zoes, its supermini electric car, were sold i

Ford brings in powerful off-road challengers, aims to gain foothold in the growing pickup truck market

GM Korea Co. said Thursday its sales decreased 21.8 percent last month from a year earlier on weak demand at home and abroad. The South Korean unit of General Motors Co. sold 29,633 vehicles in March, down from 37,981 units the previous year, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales sank 31.4 percent on-year to 6,149 units, and exports declined 18.9 percent to 23,484 autos over the cited period, it said. The Detroit carmaker has three Korean plants -- two in Bupyeong and one in Changwo

Hyundai Motor Co. on Thursday released a teaser for the Santa Cruz pickup ahead of its unveiling in the United States this month. The Santa Cruz sport adventure vehicle (SAV), a model that sits between a sport utility vehicle and a pickup truck, boasts a bold yet sophisticated design, advanced connectivity and an all-wheel drive platform, the company said in a statement. "Santa Cruz, with its bold styling, breaks open all-new segment territory, both for Hyundai and the industry as a whole

Hyundai Motor Co., BMW Korea and three other companies will voluntarily recall nearly 240,000 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry said Thursday. This is the latest in a series of recalls by carmakers operating in South Korea and vehicle importers due to problems with vehicle components. The five companies, including Kia Corp., Ford Sales & Service Korea Inc. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) Korea, are recalling a combined 238,914 units due to faulty components

Korean Air aims to launch a single integrated entity with Asiana Airlines, its biggest acquisition to date, in 2024, its chief executive president said Wednesday. Explaining to reporters the post-merger integration plan, which it reported to Asiana’s main creditor earlier this month, Woo Kee-hong said Asiana Airlines would operate as a subsidiary of Korean Air for two years before being integrated into one brand. “Once Asiana Airlines become a subsidiary of Korean Air, the proces