K9, New Santa Fe to compete with U.S.-manufactured Japanese models Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are signaling fierce competition with import car brands in a bid to protect their dominant market share at home. Following Hyundai’s launch of the third-generation Santa Fe in April, its affiliate Kia will unveil the K9, a luxury premium sedan, on May 2. Hyundai Motor has more than 40 percent of the...

Hyundai Motor Group on Monday introduced its exhibition hall for the upcoming Yeosu Expo 2012, which underscores the carmaker’s efforts to save resources and the environment. Under the theme “Living Ocean and Coast,” 106 countries and nine international organizations plan to showcase their marine development and oceanic technology on the southern shore of the Korean Peninsula starting May 12. T...

General Motors Co., the world’s largest automaker, will begin selling the Chevrolet Corvette sports car in South Korea this month as the U.S. company seeks to expand sales in overseas markets. The Corvette Coupe, equipped with a eight-cylinder engine delivering 430 horsepower, will go on sale May 4 starting at 86.4 million won ($76,300), GM’s Korean unit said in an e- mailed statement on Monday....

Carmaker yet to launch K2 compact in Korea despite strong sales in China The K series of Kia Motors Corp. will likely be completed this year after the automaker unveiled the first model ― the K7 sedan ― in November 2009. Kia, which launched the K5 sedan in April 2010, is scheduled to fill the K line-up by unveiling the third and fourth models ― the K9 and K3 ― in May and later this year, respec...

Korean carmaker to offer education program to 10,000 students in 15 nations Hyundai Motor Co., Korea’s largest carmaker, will offer a series of vocational education program for young jobseekers in 15 European countries for the next two years under its social contribution activities, company officials said Friday. The program, dubbed “Skills for the Future,” is designed to support employment of ...

Performance aided by emphasis on product-quality than mass production Hyundai Motor reported a record performance on the back of improved profitability despite sluggish sales at home. The nation’s largest carmaker said Thursday that it posted 2.28 trillion won ($2.02 billion) in operating profit during the first quarter of 2012, up 24.9 percent from the same period last year. This marked all-t...

BEIJING ― The SM sedan series of Renault Samsung Motors is expected to play a significant role in the its parent Renault Group’s project to expand its presence in China. Renault Samsung chief executive Francois Provost stressed that the consumer preferences of the Chinese are quite similar to those of Koreans. His remarks came right after France-based Renault Group unveiled the Talisman, a luxu...

Renault to produce some models in world’s largest automobile market BEIJING ― Global carmakers including Korean players are competing to increase their market share in China, the world’s largest automobile market. In the past several years, China has overtaken the Untied States in vehicle sales per annum. While General Motors and Volkswagen had dominated the Chinese market, Hyundai Motor has c...

At home, automaker pinning hopes on electric vehicles to offset sluggish sales Renault Samsung Motors is seemingly prioritizing overseas markets over sales at home as consumption in Korea sags and the Chinese market enjoys rapid growth. During the first quarter of 2012, Renault Samsung posted exports of 27,505 units, 64 percent of its total sales of 42,939 units. Between 2000, when France’s Re...

French automaker Citroen resumed sales in the local market on Thursday after a decade-long hiatus. The company under the wing of PSA Peugeot-Citroen unveiled the DS3, a premium hatchback, in Seoul on Thursday. Hanbul Motors Corp. will take on imports of the French cars. Citroen aims to sell up to 2,500 cars per annum in Korea, Eric Dumondelle, chief of the company’s Asia Pacific division told T...