Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Toyota unshackled as Abe drives Japanese yen back to 100
Toyota Motor Corp.’s half-decade of fighting the yen is over, at least for now. The weakening yen breached 100 against the dollar in U.S. trading on Friday, paving the way for Japan to emerge from an unprecedented and largely uninterrupted five-year stretch where the currency’s appreciation beyond that level roiled exporters and their ability to sell cars and televisions overseas. The yen had last traded at 100 four years ago. While its return to that level may usher in an era in which Toyota an
May 12, 2013
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Beijing Auto releases first Saab-based model ahead of listing
Beijing Automotive Group Co., which makes vehicles with Daimler AG and Hyundai Motor Co., started selling its first sedan based on Saab technology Friday as it prepares to list its BAIC Motor Corp. unit in Hong Kong. The Senova, with a 2-liter engine and a starting price of 139,800 yuan ($22,762), is the company’s first car developed using the technology it bought from Saab Automobile in 2009, Han Yonggui, president of BAIC Motor, said in an interview in Beijing. It is also the company’s first s
May 12, 2013
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Ford to set hybrid sales record in five months
Ford Motor Co., seeking to challenge Toyota Motor Corp.’s dominance in gasoline-electric vehicles, said it will pass its full-year record for U.S. hybrid sales this month on demand for its Fusion and C-Max models. Hybrid deliveries for Ford reached a monthly record 8,481 in April, bringing the total this year to 29,561, said Erich Merkle, U.S. sales analyst for the Dearborn, Michigan-based company. Ford’s annual record for such sales was 35,496 in 2010. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally has r
May 5, 2013
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Hyundai braces for tough race in U.S. luxury market
Hyundai Motor’s premium strategy in the U.S. has recently hit a snag. In the first quarter this year, sales of the Equus sedan decreased 12.3 percent to 928 units from a year ago, while the best-selling Genesis also saw a 1.4 percent decline to sell 8,232. Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo immediately urged a prompt response to the lackluster performance, which came amid a booming U.S. luxury car market. “Premium car sales are crucial for Hyundai’s brand image. The weak sales of such
May 5, 2013
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Tesla Model S tops GM Volt in North American plug-in race
Tesla Motors Inc., the luxury battery-car company run by billionaire Elon Musk, is North America’s rechargeable auto sales leader so far this year as its Model S sedan passed General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Volt. Tesla expects to report at least 4,750 deliveries of the electric Model S in the U.S. and Canada when it releases first- quarter results on May 8, said Shanna Hendriks, a company spokeswoman, reiterating a March 31 estimate. That compares with 4,421 Volt sales in North America and 3,695
April 28, 2013
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Are mega cities ready for connected driving?
A car is not only a means of transportation to get you from A to B. It is also a place where you spend a lot of time. Many traveling salesmen spend more time in their car than in their office or their living room. So let’s develop a car where you can do things you typically do in your office or in your living room. As you make yourself at home in a perfectly comfortable driver seat, your smartphone automatically connects with the on-board communication ― and entertainment system. Your personal s
April 28, 2013
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GM bets big on Trax for Europe turnaround
Europe is a big concern for General Motors as well as other carmakers. The Detroit-based auto giant lost $1.8 billion in the region last year, and the losses this year, industry watchers predict, could top $2 billion. In order to achieve the carmaker’s goal of becoming profitable by mid-decade in the regions, Susan Docherty, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe, shoulders a heavy responsibility. “Last year, Chevrolet sold 195,000 cars in Western and Central Europe for a market sha
April 28, 2013
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[Photo News] Polo new lineup
April 23, 2013
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Customer service key for market competitiveness
Due to the high amount of choice customers now, delivering an ordinary customer experience is not enough to ensure customer loyalty. Companies that provide exceptional service have a strong competitive advantage. Customers are prepared to pay higher prices, make additional purchases, are more loyal and recommend the business to others. In Korea, expectations are particularly high as customers are exposed to good service in different fields. Landing in Incheon airport, for instance, has always be
April 21, 2013
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Toyota to make Lexus in U.S. amid localization push
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to build Lexus ES 350 sedans at an existing Kentucky plant, the first U.S. production for its luxury brand, as Chief Executive Officer Akio Toyoda pushes to localize output in its biggest markets. Toyoda and Jim Lentz, Toyota’s North American chief, said on Saturday in New York that production of the ES, the top-selling Lexus car in the U.S., starts at its Georgetown, Kentucky, complex in 2015. The company said it’s investing $360 million to add a Lexus line, expanding G
April 21, 2013
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Porsche rides high in China
SHANGHAI, China ― About 10,000 journalists and visitors packed the exhibition halls of the Shanghai motor show during the media preview on Saturday. And their final destination seemed to be the same building, the N1, which housed the world’s most prestigious car brands such as Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce. China’s market for “premium” cars costing up to $190,000 was 1.25 million vehicles last year, second only to the United States, according to consultancy McKinsey. Even though
April 21, 2013
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Chinese brands hope to emulate Hyundai’s success
SHANGHAI, China ― No carmaker can afford to ignore China, which became the world’s largest car market in 2009. Brushing off fears of an economic slowdown, its auto sales set an all-time high of 19.31 million vehicles last year. And that was more than evident during the media preview day Saturday at the Shanghai auto show, which features 1,300 vehicles in 17 exhibition halls spanning 280,000 square meters. Korean carmakers also plan to showcase their new models, with which they hope to expand the
April 21, 2013
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BMW adds currency hedges with VW to mitigate volatility
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Volkswagen AG increased their currency hedging in 2012 to reduce the risk that foreign-exchange market swings would harm revenue, according to annual reports from the German carmakers. BMW, the world’s biggest maker of luxury cars, raised its protection in foreign-exchange markets by 39 percent from the previous year to 36 billion euros ($47 billion), according to the report published on March 19. Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest automaker, boosted hedges by 27 percen
April 14, 2013
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GM outsells VW in China for 1st time in Q3
General Motors Co. outsold Volkswagen AG in China for the first time in three quarters, helped by growth in demand for Buick vehicles. Volkswagen, which unlike GM includes Hong Kong and Macau in its China figures, today reported first-quarter sales in China climbed 21 percent to about 770,000 vehicles. That’s 5.7 percent fewer than the deliveries reported by GM last week. The results give Detroit-based GM a head start as it seeks to keep its lead ― on an annual basis ― among foreign automakers i
April 14, 2013
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A Porsche dream come true
Seoul may not be the perfect place to drive a Porsche, especially so for German car buffs who enjoy driving at face-peeling speeds on the autobahn. But Stuttgart Sports Cars CEO Michael Vetter, a German with a love for speed, says Porsche owners are creative enough to find ways to drive their cars up to their limits.“If you just drive half an hour outside the city, Korea has beautiful scenery to offer. For example, Namhansanseong (the ancient fortress) has beautiful, winding roads and views if y
April 14, 2013
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Kumho Tires offers first-ever tire warranty
Kumho Tires started on April 1 offering a mileage warranty for its tires that allows customers to ask for compensation when any discrepancy occurs between the tire’s originally expected lifespan and its actual replacement. It is the first time that a tire maker has introduced the mileage-based warranty service in Korea where drivers’ rough driving style, including frequent and sudden stop-and-go driving, causes quicker tread wear on tires, as well as increased fuel consumption. “Compared to othe
April 7, 2013
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GM, Opel CEOs to meet German leader Merkel
The chief executive of General Motors and the head of its Opel unit in Germany will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel this week to discuss the rejection of a plant closure timetable by workers which could speed the factory’s shutdown.With job losses looming at Opel’s Bochum plant and against a background of European car sales in freefall, government spokesman Georg Streiter said Dan Akerson and Karl-Thomas Neumann will have a one-hour session with Merkel in Berlin on Thursday.Merkel is seeking a thi
April 7, 2013
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Ferrari sees growth in Japan but falls in China, Europe
Japan is becoming Ferrari’s next growth market. Registrations of Fiat SpA’s ultra-luxury brand surged 40 percent to 144 vehicles in Japan last quarter, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association on Thursday. That’s more than twice the pace in the larger U.S. market, while demand is slumping in China, at home and across Europe. The surge in demand for luxury cars adds to signs that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda are succeeding in reviving spendin
April 7, 2013
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Audi beats expectations
The Korea Herald, in cooperation with carmakers, offers a test-driving experience to executive officials at Korean or multinational companies or ranking diplomats here. The opinion below is the author’s own. For any inquiry into this column, please contact jylee@heraldcorp.com. ― Ed.I must admit I was not initially prepared to like the Audi A8L TDI Quattro. I had never been a huge fan of Audis primarily because I always thought the four rings, overall shape and other external styling features la
April 7, 2013
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Toyota drives toward harmony
Toyota, the Japanese carmaker that has become a favorite among Korean car lovers for its practical yet sleek Camry, is out to pursue “harmony” with its newest lineup of cars unveiled at the Seoul Motor Show last week. “We’re all about harmony ― harmony between different generations and harmony between all types of roads, including on and off,” said Toyota Motor Korea chief executive Tommy Nakabayashi, in Korean no less, during the presentation last week to showcase Toyota’s newest toys.Among the
April 1, 2013