Most Popular
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No plan to let doctors with foreign licenses practice here anytime soon: PM
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Yoon rebuffs opposition's call for special probe into wife
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Ador CEO's dismissal to be decided on last day of May
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[Graphic News] Beer the most favored alcoholic drink by Koreans
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Science Ministry expresses regret over Japan’s pressure on Naver
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Haeundae Beach to become sand art museum in late May
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Suzy, Park Bo-gum star in AI fantasy romance ‘Wonderland’
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Medical professors set to take day off amid protracted walkouts by junior doctors
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Hostilities get out of hand as YouTuber murders another outside courthouse
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Police officer jumps barefoot into drainage tunnel to save man
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BMW unveils its first Asian driving center in Yeongjongdo
YEONGJONGDO, Incheon ― BMW Group on Monday unveiled its first driving center in Asia here, which the German luxury carmaker said shows its latest commitment to Korea, the ninth-largest market globally. The new facility, located in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, some 40 kilometers west of Seoul, is the third driving center after those in Germany and the United States ― the two countries where BMW produces vehicles.According to BMW Korea, the carmaker plans to invest a combined 77 billion won ($75 million)
July 14, 2014
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Renault Samsung, GM Korea face prospect of strikes by workers
South Korean carmakers are facing the prospect of renewed labor strife as they deal with unfavorable market conditions, industry sources said Monday.Renault Samsung Motors Co. and GM Korea Co. said their union workers are planning walkouts and work disruptions after initial union-management talks failed to find middle ground on regular wages, bonuses and fringe benefits.Renault Samsung, the local unit of French automaker Renault S.A., said its workers at the company’s Busan plant will halt work
July 14, 2014
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Hyundai Motor Brazil makes impact on local economy
SAO PAULO ― The roads in Piracicaba, a rural town two hours’ drive from the city of Sao Paulo, are dug up on the shoulders and center dividers. Construction workers drill and repave roads, and where there were only sugar plantations five years ago, there is now a hive of activity.This is the production hub of Hyundai Motor Brazil, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group that opened its first Latin American factory here in 2012 as part of its overseas expansion into emerging economies. And as Hyundai
July 13, 2014
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‘Hyundai is a premium brand in Brazil’
SAO PAULO ― In a country long dominated by the world’s auto giants, Hyundai Motor Brazil saw a golden opportunity in Latin America’s biggest auto market and seized its chance. For the past three years, it has shaken up the compact segment by giving drivers of “popular cars” the high-end treatment.Thanks to the self-transformation of its brand image as a car for the common driver, Hyundai is one of the six most sought-after car brands in the country. And even producing 180,000 cars a year at full
July 13, 2014
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Hyundai-Kia tops Russian car sales in June
Hyundai SolarisHyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors seized the top spot in the Russian car market last month, beating homegrown brand Avtovaz. According to industry data on Friday, Hyundai and Kia sold 16,754 and 17,023 vehicles, respectively, in Russia last month. Avtovaz, Russia’ largest carmaker, fell to second, selling 30,114 units. It was the first time that the two Korean siblings outsold Avtovaz in monthly sales on the Russian auto giant’s home turf.Market shares of Hyundai and Kia
July 11, 2014
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Korea raises concern over Chile’s move to impose tax on diesel cars
South Korea has expressed concerns over Chile’s ongoing consideration to impose an environment tax on diesel cars, a move that could hurt the nation’s vehicle exports to the Latin American country, a government official in Seoul said Friday.South Korea’s concerns were conveyed in a recent letter to the Chilean government, according to the official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It also noted such a tax may violate the countries’ bilateral fr
July 11, 2014
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U.S. sales of Kia’s iconic Soul boxy compact top 500,000
Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s No. 2 automaker, said Thursday that U.S. sales of its iconic Soul boxy compact topped the half-million mark a little over five years after its debut in early 2009.As of last month, 509,854 Souls were sold in the North American country, the company said, stressing that the popularity of the entry-level crossover played a key part in the carmaker’s record-high sales figure reached in the first half of the year.Kia’s U.S. sales were up 7 percent on-year to 297,413 un
July 10, 2014
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Seoul begins test for new vehicle accident avoidance system
South Korea launched testing to verify the effectiveness of its new vehicle-crash avoidance technology, the government said Tuesday, in a step toward building accident-free highways.The accident avoidance system uses the so-called wireless access in vehicular environment technology that enables vehicle-to-vehicle as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, allowing checks for any changes to the driving environment such as road conditions, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
July 8, 2014
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First class-action suit filed over inflated fuel economy
Six carmakers, including two Korean and four foreign companies, have been hit with an unprecedented class-action lawsuit here for making bogus fuel-economy claims on their top-selling models. A group of 1,785 car owners filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court on Monday, seeking between 1.5 million won and 3 million won ($1,490-$2,960) each in compensation over the false gas mileage claims. Of them, 1,517 people ― or about 85 percent ― were owners of Hyundai Motor’s Santa Fe sport u
July 7, 2014
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GM Korea to reintroduce Damas and Labo in August
GM Korea, the nation’s third-largest carmaker, said Monday it will be reintroducing its Damas and Labo vehicles here to meet the persistent demand for these compact commercial vehicles. A company source said it was ready to set up an assembly line for the two models at its Changwon plant, located about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Pilot production can start this month, the source said, with full-fledged assembly and delivery to start in mid-August.The cars, initially sold by GM Daewoo in t
July 7, 2014
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Han Sung Motor nurtures young talent through art
Han Sung Motor, the largest official Mercedes-Benz dealer in Korea, this year celebrates the third anniversary of its “Dream Gream (Picture) Project,” which aims to nurture young students with artistic talent.“The project is aimed at supporting students’ dreams, encouraging creativity, and giving long-term support to fulfill their goals,” said Ulf Ausprung, chief executive of Han Sung Motor.“I’ve seen many successful and emotionally rewarding cases through the project, and my wish is to further
July 6, 2014
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Volvo Korea names new chief executive
Lee Yun-moVolvo Korea said Sunday that it named Lee Yun-mo, former executive director of after-sales service at BMW Korea, as the company’s new chief executive as of July 7.Lee, 49, is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience at several carmakers. He is credited with supporting the stunning growth of German luxury brand BMW in Korea over the past decade. According to the Korean unit of the Swedish carmaker, he started his career at Daewoo Auto & Technology, now GM Korea, in 1994
July 6, 2014
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New Audi A8 sedan shows off ‘Art of Progress’
The New Audi A8, released on Thursday, shouts luxury in terms of both design and performance. Hailed as the epitome of the German automaker’s slogan “Advancement through Technology,” the prestige sedan has added another theme, “The Art of Progress” ― expressed through everything from its sleek outline to its engine and fuel economy. “The New Audi A8 represents Audi’s cutting-edge technology. It actively lays out Audi’s key spirit of design, traffic comfort and drivers’ convenience,” said Johanne
July 6, 2014
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Daimler tests self-driving truck in 2025 target for sales
Daimler AG is working to introduce trucks that steer, brake and accelerate independently as early as 2025 as the world’s commercial-vehicle industry leader seeks to keep an innovative edge over competitors.The self-driving technology, adapted from features already available on Daimler’s new Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury sedan, enabled a prototype based on the company’s Actros truck to travel by itself down a stretch of superhighway today while the driver kept his arms crossed, waved or used a tab
July 6, 2014
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Renault Samsung unveils first diesel SM5
Renault Samsung Motors on Thursday unveiled the first diesel-powered version of its best-selling sedan the SM5, pledging to renew competition in the soaring diesel car market currently dominated by German brands. The Korean unit of the France-based Renault Group called the new SM5 D a “game changer” that can challenge the existing diesel cars in the market, saying that the vehicle embodies the carmaker’s latest efforts to reduce engine size and price, and improve fuel economy. “More than 60 perc
July 3, 2014
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Hyundai’s new Grandeur raises refinement of diesel sedans
Hyundai Motor’s new Grandeur diesel aims to raise the bar for refinement in South Korea’s car market by introducing class-leading sound insulation with practical fuel economy, the automaker said Wednesday.In a test drive event arranged for the local media, South Korea’s No. 1 carmaker said the large, near-luxury sedan was designed from the outset to reduce noise, vibration and harshness, and give occupants a smooth, quiet and refined ride. The Grandeur diesel is the country’s first large sedan p
July 2, 2014
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Kumho resumes work on Georgia plant
A rendering of Kumho Tire’s planned factory in Macon, Georgia (Kumho Tire)Kumho Tire, currently in a debt workout program, said Tuesday that it was resuming the construction of its U.S. plant, which has been suspended since the 2008 financial crisis.Following approval from its creditors, the Korean tire maker said it plans to pour $413 million into the new plant in Macon, Georgia, with its completion due in early 2016. The new plant, capable of producing 4 million tires per year, will supply tir
July 1, 2014
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Hyundai Motor set to expand production at Brazil plant
SEOUL/SAO PAULO ― Hyundai Motor will be expanding production capacity at its Sao Paulo plant from this year, largely buoyed by the soaring demand for its Brazil-only compact, the HB20.According to company officials on Monday, the Korean carmaker has recently decided to build some 5,000 more cars at the plant per year, increasing its annual output to 185,000 vehicles from this year.With the planned production expansion, the carmaker hopes to meet the growing demand for its hot-selling flex-fuel h
June 30, 2014
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Foreign carmakers left confused by mileage audit
Confusion surrounding the nation’s fuel-economy audit system is deepening among foreign-based carmakers. On Thursday, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport fined Hyundai Motor and Ssangyong Motor for reporting inaccurate fuel ratings on its Santa Fe and Korando Sport models. But on the same day, another government office, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy confirmed that the discrepancies between the stated and actual gas mileages on the two Korean cars were within the legal
June 29, 2014
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Toyota to launch first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle for $69,000
Mitsuhisa Kato, executive vice president at Toyota Motor, speaks as he introduces the company’s fuel cell vehicle during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday. (Bloomberg)Toyota Motor’s vision of a hydrogen future will begin with a $69,000 car.That’s the price of Toyota’s new fuel cell vehicle, the world’s largest carmaker said in a statement Wednesday. The Camry-sized car will go on sale to Japanese consumers with a sticker price of about 7 million yen ($68,690) before April, followed by debu
June 29, 2014