Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
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Finesse on four wheels
Aesthetics are always subjective. How would you choose the supercar of your dreams among Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati or Bentley?Gone are the days when the wealthy would ogle a Mercedes Benz or BMW above all else. High-end customers are increasingly eyeing built-to-order, traffic-stopping beauty rarely seen in most neighborhoods.“I have compared Lamborghini Aventador, Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche 911 and decided to settle on the 911. I can get technical about the decision process, it is c
March 4, 2012
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Hyundai, Kia cars post record sales in U.S.
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors saw their February sales in the U.S. market reach an all-time high.Hyundai Motor sold 51,151 units last month in the U.S., up 18 percent from 43,533 units a year earlier. It is a record-high performance for the carmaker’s February sales.Sales of the Sonata and Avante, called the Elantra in the U.S., came to 17,425 and 13,820 units, respectively.Kia Motors, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor, reported 37.3 percent growth with sales of 45,038 units in the world’s biggest au
March 2, 2012
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Hyundai Motor family firms up grip on group
Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo and his son Eui-sun have been expanding their presence in the group’s subsidiaries.Chairman Chung is to take on the role of a standing director in Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which was acquired by the automotive group in March 2011, Hyundai Motor said Wednesday.Last Friday, Chung Eui-sun, Hyundai Motor vice chairman and Kia Motors president, was named a standing director of Hyundai-Steel.According to Hyundai spokespeople, their direct involveme
Feb. 29, 2012
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Kia reveals K9 design
Kia Motors unveiled the exterior design of the K9, a luxury premium sedan, on Tuesday.“Its design features futuristic and high-end technology,” the company said in a statement. The car will officially be launched sometime before July.The sedan, which is expected to compete with Hyundai Motor’s Equus and Genesis sedans in sales, is an upper series of Kia Motors’ K7 and K5 sedans. K9 is the latest product of Kia’s evolving design approach, carrying its signature radiator grille, bold “high-tech lu
Feb. 28, 2012
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U.S. court tentatively denies Toyota arbitration for acceleration cases
A judge ruled tentatively that Toyota Motor Corp. can’t force named plaintiffs in a purported class-action lawsuit over alleged losses from unintended sudden acceleration to arbitrate their claims rather than proceed to trial. U.S. District Judge James Selna in Santa Ana, California, said in a tentative ruling on Friday that Toyota waived its right to compel arbitration for 15 of the 20 plaintiffs and that, for the remaining five, the carmaker wasn’t a party to the arbitration agreements between
Feb. 26, 2012
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Porsche recalls 100,000 cars worldwide to fix headlights
Porsche was recalling 100,000 of its Cayenne models worldwide to fix a headlight locking system that was at risk of becoming detached, the German car manufacturer said Friday.It will be biggest recall in the history of the company.Owners of the luxury sport utility vehicle, Porsche’s most popularmodel, were to receive letters asking them to take their cars to workshops for a free, 45-minute repair.“The headlight locking system on current 2011 and 2012 Cayenne models is being reworked. In-house q
Feb. 26, 2012
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Car importers cut prices after probe announcement
BMW’s new 3-series 320d slashed by nearly 2.8 million wonEuropean carmakers, which enjoy the largest share of Korea’s import car market, have slashed their prices as the nation’s antitrust regulator launched an investigation into alleged overpricing and unfair business practices.BMW, the largest player here with 25 percent of the import market, rolled out the latest version of its flagship 3-series, the 320d diesel, on Thursday in the 45 million won to 56.5 million won range, down about 2.8 mil
Feb. 26, 2012
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BMW Korea aiming for 15% sales rise in 2012
The chief executive of BMW Group Korea, the local importer and distributor of BMW AG, said Friday that the German carmaker expects a 15 percent jump in its sales in 2012 from a year earlier on the back of its popular models.“Last year we sold some 27,000 units of BMW and Mini models. We expect the sales of BMW brand cars to rise 13 percent and Mini sales to soar by 40 percent,” Kim Hyo-joon said in a press conference.“Adding the sales of 1,000 units of Motorrad bikes, BMW Korea will see a 15 per
Feb. 23, 2012
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Honda recalling 46,000 vans to fix rear doors
2010 Honda Odyssey minivans sit on display at AutoPark Honda dealership in Cary, North Carolina, U.S. (Bloomberg)DETROIT (AP) _ Honda is recalling nearly 46,000 Odyssey minivans in the U.S. because the rear doors can fall on people unexpectedly, and have on at least two occasions.The problem affects
Feb. 23, 2012
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Hyundai Motor backs design to drive sales
After winning a long battle for quality, Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor is focusing on beauty.Hyundai, together with its affiliate Kia, was ranked the world’s fourth largest carmaker in 2010 thanks partly to a decade-long drive to improve workmanship.Now the firm sees its core competitive edge as good design, expressed in a “fluidic sculpture” philosophy.“We are now in the global top five and we needed a product that could reflect that, a product that could differentiate itself from other m
Feb. 19, 2012
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Foreign firms flock back to Busan
Biennial car show expected to be largest ever with participation of 18 automakersThe Busan International Motor Show 2012 is likely to be the largest scale ever, with new offerings from 18 automakers including 13 import brands.The previous Busan Motor Show, which was held in 2010, attracted only two import brands.Two years ago foreign carmakers downplayed the benefits of participation, but this year’s event could be a great chance for the 13 import brands as they are set to unveil a number of ne
Feb. 19, 2012
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Genesis tops dependability ranking in United States
Hyundai Motor’s Genesis was the highest-ranked model in the midsize premium car segment in the 2012 Vehicle Dependability Study conducted by U.S.-based J.D. Power.The VDS, which was released on Feb. 16, measures problems experienced during the past 12 months by the original owners of three-year-old (2009 model year) vehicles.The Genesis received 81 points in the annual test, an all-time low ― which is the best performance ― for Hyundai Motor vehicles in the VDS.The BMW 520d and Mercedes-Benz E33
Feb. 16, 2012
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More Koreans in 20s buy import cars
Import car sales to consumers under 30 increased while the percentage of young customers in the overall market including Korean carmakers dropped last year.According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, combined car sales by local and foreign automakers to consumers in their 20s stood at 140,777 units in 2011, down 6.4 percent from a year earlier.Further, sales to consumers under 20 declined by 17.4 percent to 1,897 units.As a result, the percentage of consumers under 30 dropped by
Feb. 15, 2012
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Ssangyong targets European car market
Ssangyong Motor unveiled its business strategy to expand its presence in the European market, saying that it will showcase the XIV-2 concept model at the Geneva International Motor Show in March.The XIV-2, the concept vehicle as a premium crossover utility vehicle, is aimed at increasing sales in Europe, the company said in a statement.Based on the hardtop XIV-1 concept from last year’s Frankfurt show, Ssangyong says the XIV-2 blends “the characteristics of a robust and powerful SUV with the dyn
Feb. 14, 2012
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Hyundai, Toyota vie for cheaper hybrids
Hyundai Motor and Toyota Motor have launched a keen competition to dominate the emerging hybrid car market in Korea this year.Though the ratio of hybrids out of the total cars sold by Korean companies stayed at 1.3 percent last year, and 3.7 percent of import brands, they recently vitalized the eco-friendly car marketing and sales.Toyota Motor Korea, which launched the New Camry Hybrid in January, will unveil three models of the New Prius series ― Prius S, Prius M and Prius E ― next week.The Pri
Feb. 13, 2012
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Lexus, Volvo most recalled cars in Korea
28,000 imported cars called back for defects in 2011The number of imported cars subject to recalls for manufacturing faults has surged over the past five years.According to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, more than 28,000 imported cars were recalled in 2011, while the number remained below 8,000 in 2006.As foreign automakers saw their 2011 sales reach 105,037 units last year, the figure is equivalent to about 27 percent of the imports sold here.Lexus, the premium brand of
Feb. 12, 2012
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BMW fined $3 million by U.S. for delaying auto defect reports
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world’s largest premium automaker, must pay a $3 million U.S. civil penalty for delays in reporting auto-safety defects and recalls of about 338,700 vehicles in 2010.Munich-based BMW’s fine is the largest related to safety by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the investigator of automobile defects and regulator of recalls, since the record $16.4 million levied against Toyota Motor Corp. in 2010. It’s NHTSA’s second-largest penalty since at
Feb. 12, 2012
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Imported car registration tops 600,000
The number of imported vehicles that were registered in South Korea surpassed the 600,000 mark for the first time last month as demand grows among local consumers for cars manufactured by overseas automakers, data showed Sunday.A total of 606,825 imported cars were registered as of the end of January, up from the 597,766 vehicles registered the previous month, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).The local market for imported cars has bee
Feb. 12, 2012
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Imported car registration tops 600,000
The number of imported vehicles that were registered in South Korea surpassed the 600,000 mark for the first time last month as demand grows among local consumers for cars manufactured by overseas automakers, data showed Sunday.A total of 606,825 imported cars were registered as of the end of Januar
Feb. 12, 2012
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Kia Motors named best low-cost ownership brand in U.S.
Korea’s Kia Motors Corp. said Friday that it was named the best low-cost ownership brand in the United States, outperforming rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co.Kia Motor was awarded the inaugural 2012 Total Cost of Ownership Awards, which is given to brands and vehicles with the lowest projected ownership expenses by Kelly Blue Book (www.kbb.com). Korea’s second-largest carmaker received the highest points after calculating depreciation, fuel costs, fees associated with fin
Feb. 10, 2012