Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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S. Korea's auto sales top 8 mln in 2012
Jan. 2, 2013
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Toyota rated worst in U.S. insurance group’s tests
Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry, the best-selling mid-size car in the U.S., and the Prius V hybrid earned the lowest ratings in a new crash test simulating a severe front-end collision, an insurance group found. The two Toyotas received the only “poor” scores on an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety test intended to evaluate a crash in which the front corner of a vehicle collides with another car, a tree or a pole. It is more stringent than the U.S. government’s test, which simulates a collision
Dec. 23, 2012
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Audi, BMW see ‘Gangnam Style’ sales boost in Korea
Kim Ju-hee says the Korean cars favored by her parents and winning customers around the world aren’t bad, just rather dull. So as she looks for a new set of wheels, she’s skipping the Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. dealerships near her Seoul home to scout Audi AG and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG showrooms in the city’s ritzy Gangnam district. “Audis are just better looking and offer something unique,” said the 27-year-old accountant, who has her eye on an Audi A6. “South Korean cars may h
Dec. 23, 2012
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Local CEOs credited with import car boom
The nation’s import car market is enjoying a heyday.Foreign carmakers, largely led by the popularity of German brands have continued posting record sales here in recent years. This year their combined market share surpassed a milestone 10 percent in Korea where Hyundai and Kia vehicles dominate almost 80 percent of the market. Their car sales increased more than 20 percent to reach some 130,000 units this year. Next year the sales figure is expected to reach some 150,000. One of the reasons behi
Dec. 23, 2012
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Hyundai Mobis completes plant in Slovakia
Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea’s biggest auto parts manufacturer, said Monday that it has kicked off production of conventional braking systems at its plant in Slovakia.Hyundai Mobis, an auto parts arm of Hyundai Motor Group, spent 50 billion won ($46.6 million) to complete the line to produce the braking system components at its Slovakia plant located in the northern region of Zilina.The new production line will have an annual production capacity of 600,000 conventional braking system component
Dec. 17, 2012
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2020 road map for development of electric vehicles faces bumpy road
The nation’s ambitious goal to become one of the world’s top four electric-vehicle production powerhouses faces a bumpy road due to slower-than-expected market penetration.Under the 2020 vision for green cars, unveiled in 2010, the government plans to replace 20 percent of cars on the road with EVs for Korea to take 10 percent of the global EV market. For this goal, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Knowledge Economy have invested in infrastructure for EVs to boost demand for the v
Dec. 17, 2012
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U.S. upgrades investigation into Ford Motor pedal problem
An investigation into complaints that loose floor mats in some Ford Motor Co. Fusion, Lincoln MKZ and Mercury Milan cars may jam accelerator pedals was upgraded by U.S. regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates auto safety, today said it intensified a probe opened in May 2010 to an engineering analysis after receiving 52 complaints. The investigation covers about 480,000 cars from model years 2008 to 2010, NHTSA said today on its website. Accelerator pedals
Dec. 16, 2012
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German firms lag in customer satisfaction
German automakers lagged behind their Japanese competitors in customer satisfaction in after-sales services in Korea, a vehicle research report showed Sunday.According to a yearly assessment by Marketing Insight based on a consumer survey on major carmakers, Volkswagen and BMW shared the lowest score of 746 out of 1,000 points in the after-sales sector.Audi and Mercedes-Benz posted 768 and 808 points, respectively, but none of the four German companies outperformed any of the five major Japanese
Dec. 16, 2012
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Mercedes looks to blue to make diesel green
The Korea Herald, in cooperation with carmakers, offers a test-driving experience to executive officials at Korean or multinational companies here. The opinion below is the author’s own. For inquiries, please contact jylee@heraldcorp.com. ― Ed. Visually similar to the vehicle Jang Dong-gun called “Betty” in the drama “A Gentleman’s Dignity,” the Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC that I had the pleasure of driving for a weekend is what you might call Betty’s less wild, economically minded, environment
Dec. 9, 2012
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Little big heroes
When BMW Korea unveiled the second-generation 1 Series in October, CEO Kim Hyo-joon pinned high hopes on the smallest and cheapest BMW model for further growth of the best-selling foreign car brand here. Now two months later, local customers are required to wait for at least four months to purchase the car, according to a BMW Korea spokesperson who would not reveal the specific sales figures, citing company policy.“The 1 Series is favored by younger customers. But it is also true that overall ca
Dec. 9, 2012
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Japanese dealerships in China retrench in wake of disputes
Three months after a territorial dispute led rioters to vandalize Japanese cars in China, automakers from Toyota Motor Corp. to Nissan Motor Co. are luring back buyers with discounts and guarantees. Dealers like William Chen may take more persuasion to invest in the brands. “Sales of Japanese brands plunged about a third at my outlets,” said Chen, whose family owns about 30 showrooms selling Nissan and nine other brands in the eastern city of Taizhou. “I would prefer safer brands over Japanese o
Dec. 9, 2012
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Equus wins U.S. value award
Hyundai Motor’s Equus took first place in the luxury car segment in the 16th annual Strategic Vision Total Value Awards in the United States.“Our flagship sedan Equus beat out competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the Audi A8 and the Jaguar XJ,” the company said in a statement Sunday.While Strategic Vision’s Total Value Index reflects all aspects of perceived value ― from quality, to economics to customer appeal ― the Equus also received the award for Best Model and the automaker’s Sonata s
Dec. 9, 2012
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Audi Volkswagen Korea names new chief
Audi Volkswagen Korea said Monday that it has named Johannes Thammer as the new Korean representative of Volkswagen Group, seller of the Audi, Volkswagen and Bentley brands. He will also have the role of managing director of Audi Korea, while Park Dong-hoon remains managing director of Volkswagen Korea, said the Korean unit of the German carmaker. Thammer, born in Germany in 1955, is an automobile expert with more than 30 years of extensive experience ranging from product control to marketing, b
Dec. 3, 2012
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Rolls-Royce cars plans expansion as wealth spreads
Rolls-Royce, the ultra-luxury car brand owned by Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, plans to increase outlets by 14 percent within five years as it chases growing numbers of wealthy customers. Rolls-Royce targets expanding the number of dealers to 120 from 105 to reach millionaires in markets like Chile, Thailand and Vietnam. Unfazed by Europe’s debt crisis, the Goodwood, England-based carmaker expects the updated version of its $380,000 Phantom sedan will help it reach a second consecutive sales rec
Dec. 2, 2012
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Taking the big cat for a stroll
The Korea Herald, in cooperation with carmakers, offers a test-driving experience to executive officials at Korean or multinational companies here. The opinion above is the author’s own. For any inquiry into this column, please contact jylee@heraldcorp.com. ― Ed.There’s nothing like a cat. Graceful, intuitive, powerful and proud ― the cat I am describing is the new Jaguar XJ, a 5.0-liter V8 luxury car that I had the pleasure of experiencing both as a passenger and as a driver for three days.My f
Dec. 2, 2012
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Hyundai Motor grapples to satisfy BRIC tastes
Hyundai Motor is considering diversifying its localized model lineup in a bid to secure its position in the fast growing BRIC market, company officials said.Over the past several years, the company has prioritized expanding the production capacity of its assembly lines in China, Russia and India.Along with the completion of its Brazilian factory this year, Hyundai Motor plans to more profoundly reflect locals’ design tastes and customer needs in the four countries.The company is reportedly consi
Dec. 2, 2012
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Toyota leads Japanese auto firms in cutting China output
Toyota Motor Corp. production in China fell the most in at least a decade, leading a slump for Japanese automakers, after a sovereignty dispute over uninhabited islets triggered demonstrations and deterred buyers. Japan’s biggest carmaker said today China output in October tumbled 61 percent to 30,591 units in October. Nissan Motor Co. reported production fell 44 percent last month, the biggest decline based on company data stretching back to 2009, and Honda Motor Co. said output tumbled 54 perc
Dec. 2, 2012
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Kia’s pro cee’d receives iF design award
Kia Motors said on Friday that it received the prestigious iF design award for its three-door coupe pro cee’d.The company said the compact car won in the “Transportation Design” category.Company officials said the award proved that the car, to be sold in the second half of next year, was recognized globally for its outstanding design. The accolade is the fifth iF design award for Kia. “We are very proud to receive this iF product design award for the pro cee’d, which we owe in particular to our
Nov. 30, 2012
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Hyundai, Kia unveil new cars at L.A. motor show
South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. said Thursday that they have premiered a new concept car and showcased new models at a U.S. auto show in a bid to strengthen their presence in the world’s second-biggest market.Hyundai said it unveiled its Veloster C3 concept for the first time at the 2012 Los Angeles International Auto Show that runs through Dec. 9.The new Veloster concept is a three-door convertible with Hyundai’s gamma 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline direct inject
Nov. 29, 2012
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BMW Korea to nurture future scientists
BMW Korea unveiled Thursday a new program aimed at offering science education to children and nurturing their dreams. The Junior Campus program will start next month, benchmarking one of the programs of BMW Group’s Welt, a multi-functional customer experience and exhibition facility in Munich. BMW Korea Future Fund, the first social contribution organization set up by a foreign carmaker here, will be responsible for operating the program. It is the first time the BMW program will be carried out
Nov. 29, 2012