LG Chem and Proterra, a California-based heavy-duty electric transportation manufacturer, announced on Wednesday the co-development of new battery cells. Proterra reported that its zero-emission bus model Catalyst E2 has succeeded traveling 1,772 kilometers at low speed on a single charge of batteries provided by LG Chem. The result is 83 percent further than the record of 970 km that Proterra achieved in a long-range test a year ago, it said.  Proterra‘s Catalyst E2 (Proterra)With passengers on

Mobility Sept. 20, 2017

Diageo Korea said Tuesday it would offer specially packaged versions of its whisky brands in celebration of the upcoming Chuseok holiday.The company’s 20 kinds of whisky including Johnnie Walker, Windsor and Bell will be gift packaged and some will come with promotional cups. The recently relaunched Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years will also be introduced to Korea for the first time. The 18-year-old whisky is priced at 129,000 won ($114) per 750-mililiter bottle. (Diageo Korea)There will also be a h

Industry Sept. 19, 2017

South Korea’s imports of avocados have dramatically increased in recent years, riding on the surging popularity of the fruit for its versatility in cooking and health benefits, industry data showed Tuesday.According to data compiled by the Korea Customs Service, the amount of avocados imported last year reached 2,915 tons, a sixfold surge compared to 457 tons in 2010.  (123RF)The figure is expected to reach almost 5,000 tons by the end this year, the data also showed. Korean retail giant Lotte M

Industry Sept. 19, 2017

The sales of South Korea’s two largest automakers, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, continued to plunge in China last month amid growing competition in the local market, as well as the prolonged political tension between China and South Korea over the deployment of a US missile defense system.Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia Motors last month sold a total 76,010 vehicles in China, compared to 124,116 units in August last year, according to the companies’ data. Hyundai Motor’s sales in Augus

Mobility Sept. 17, 2017

While Korean carmakers are set to attract customers with small sport utility vehicles of various colors, Renault Samsung Motors’ QM3 has increasingly been standing out as the front-runner in terms of color options offered. Since the launch of the model, the automaker has been providing different color options for the roof and body of the vehicle, as well as leather seat covers that are also available in orange, blue and black. Renault Samsung Motor’s compact sport utility vehicle QM3 (Renault Sa

Mobility Sept. 13, 2017

Samsung SDI introduced its multipurpose batteries at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2017 held in Germany, the company said Tuesday. The newly invented battery modules provide extended driving ranges for electric vehicles.  (Samsung SDI)A premium electric vehicle with 20 modules can drive up to 700 kilometers, while an entry level electric vehicle with 10 to 12 modules can drive up to some 300 km, the company said. Automakers can change the number of modules to be installed in different car models. Sam

Technology Sept. 12, 2017

Starbucks Coffee Korea’s operating profit is expected to surpass 100 billion won ($88.6 million) this year if it keeps up its sales posted in the first half this year. The US coffee giant’s unit in Korea posted 52.8 billion won of operating profit and 593.5 billion won of sales in the first half of 2017, the company said.If this continues, the company’s operating profit is likely to surpass 100 billion won by the end of the year, as coffee shops usually perform better in the second half, due par

Industry Sept. 12, 2017

American Airlines appointed Jang Eun-seok to head its business unit in Korea, the company said Monday. The US air carrier has operated its local business office here since 2013, starting with its nonstop flight between Incheon Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in the US. Early this year, the company also started to fly new Boeing 787-9 aircrafts for its routes to Korea.“It is my great pleasure to lead the local unit of the world’s biggest airline company, said Jang. “I will try

Industry Sept. 11, 2017

SK Innovation has introduced the third version of its Big Picture of Innovation campaign, it said Friday.Big Picture of Innovation is SK Innovation’s public relations campaign that comes in a series of visual artworks that are featured by renowned artists and new art techniques. SK Innovation’s latest campaign features cymatics, the art of visualizing audio frequencies of music. Local performance group Silo Lab carried out the artwork, the company said. This is the first time for a Korean compan

Industry Sept. 10, 2017

Vying for the bigger pie in the lucrative and fast-growing anti-aging cosmetics market, Korean companies are spewing out reinvented products and brands using more natural ingredients and less chemicals. According to data compiled by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the production volume of functional cosmetics products by Korean cosmetics companies in 2016 increased by 15.3 percent on-year to reach 4.4 trillion won ($3.9 billion). Of the total functional cosmetics production, the production

Industry Sept. 8, 2017

South Korean users of voice-controlled smart speakers are largely dissatisfied with the products over issues such as failing to recognize voice commands, a survey showed Friday.Voice-controlled smart speakers are artificial intelligence-based devices that respond to voice requests from users and provide relevant services. The AI-speakers that are currently in the domestic market are KT’s Giga Genie, SKT’s Nugu, Amazon’s Echo and Google Home.  (Yonhap)The Korea Consumer Agency’s survey asked 300

Industry Sept. 8, 2017

SK Holdings has invested in San Francisco-based car-sharing company Turo, the company said Thursday. One of the largest car-sharing companies in Silicon Valley, Turo provides peer-to-peer car rental services in around 5,000 areas in US, UK and Canada. (Yonhap)SK Holdings and German carmaker Daimler led Turo’s latest fundraising worth a total of $92 million, according to the company. However, details on the terms and shares of the investment were not disclosed.With the investment, SK Holdings sai

Industry Sept. 7, 2017

The decrease in number of Japanese tourists visiting South Korea is expected to continue on the back of North Korea‘s latest nuclear test, clouding the outlook of the nation‘s tourism industry, according to Korea Tourism Organization Wednesday.The number of Japanese tourists to Korea have shown a tendency to fall upon North Korea-bound provocation in the past. According to data compiled by the KTO, the number of Japanese visitors decreased by 5.4 percent on-year to reach 165,748 in April this ye

Industry Sept. 6, 2017

Mercedes-Benz Korea released the New S-Class sedans in Seoul on Monday, starting with diesel-powered models.For two months, the German luxury carmaker‘s local sales unit will be selling eight models, including the Mercedes-AMG S 63 4Matic and Mercedes-Maybach, the company said. S-Class Coupe and S-Class Cabriolet models will be introduced next year, it added.  The New Mercedes-Benz S-Class (left) and New Mercedes-Maybach S-Class (right) (Mercedes-Benz Korea)“Different engines will come not all t

Mobility Sept. 5, 2017

South Korean carmakers posted weaker sales in the Chilean car market in the first half of this year, according to data compiled by a local automotive association.Hyundai Motor, which had topped the market with sales of 31,398 units in 2016, gave away the top spot to Chevrolet during the January-July period this year, according to the National Automotive Association of Chile on Monday.During the seven-month period, Hyundai Motor held 9.1 percent market share with sales of 17,276 small and midsize

Mobility Sept. 4, 2017