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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[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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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Import carmakers aim to sell 215,000 units
Import car companies, which have been on a roll in recent years in South Korea, said Friday that they are aiming to sell 215,000 units in the new year, up 10 percent from 2014.In a meeting with the local automotive press, Yoon Dae-sung, executive managing director of the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, said next year’s target reflects steadily rising demand and the growing competitiveness of import cars in the country.For this year, he said sales will likely hover around
Nov. 30, 2014
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Mercedes plans cheaper AMG performance cars
Mercedes-Benz plans to at least double deliveries of AMG performance cars over the next three years by adding vehicles that are more affordable. With the new AMG Sport line, the unit plans to make cars with souped-up engines, all-wheel drive and special brake and suspension components at prices lower than traditional offerings like a $222,000 version of the Mercedes S-Class. The first two AMG Sport models, based on the C-Class sedan and coupe variant of the GLE sport utility vehicle, will be pre
Nov. 30, 2014
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Mini plans to reduce lineup to five ‘superhero’ cars
BMW has decided that Mini has gotten too big and will shrink the compact brand’s lineup to five models from eight. The move reverses course after Mini rolled out a series of quirky derivatives like the coupe and roadster two-seaters in recent years. While that strategy sustained sales growth, it added cost and complexity. Over the long term, Mini will focus on “superhero” vehicles like the three- and five-door versions of the basic hatchback, the Countryman crossover and the Clubman wagon, which
Nov. 30, 2014
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2015 All New Smart Camry inherits family sedan DNA
I give four stars out of five for the hybrid model of the All New Toyota Camry and three for its gasoline version. Behind the steering wheel I could give it a bit more, but as a passenger, I would rather stick with the lower score. The five-hour test drive was held on Jejudo Island on Nov. 18. I was teamed up with two other reporters and drove along some mountain, seaside and forest roads. Driving both vehicles was a lot of fun. The driving was smooth and sound because the steering wheel and the
Nov. 30, 2014
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Foreign carmakers aim to sell 215,000 units in 2015, up 10% from this year
Import car companies, which have been on a roll in recent years in South Korea, said Friday that they are aiming to sell 215,000 units in the new year, up 10 percent from 2014.In a meeting with the local automotive press, Yoon Dae-sung, executive managing director of the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA), said next year's target reflects steadily rising demand and the growing competitiveness of import cars in the country.For this year, he said sales will likely hove
Nov. 29, 2014
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Mercedes-Benz Financial issues 70 billion won bonds
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Korea said Friday it had issued a corporate bond of 70 billion won ($63 million) with two year tenor and fixed coupon of 2.457 percent per annum. According to the company, the proceeds of the bond ― the seventh of its kind ― will be used solely for financing vehicles of Mercedes-Benz customers in Korea. Standard Chartered Securities Korea was assigned as lead manager and Bookook Securities was named as underwriter for the transaction. “The company achieved very a
Nov. 28, 2014
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Ssangyong names new compact SUV ‘Tivoli’
A rendering of the Ssangyong TivoliSsangyong Motor on Tuesday unveiled the name of its all-new compact sport-utility vehicle, the Tivoli, pledging to make the new car a game-changer in the crowded segment. According to the carmaker, the name Tivoli originates from an Italian resort town some 30 kilometers east of Rome. It also comes from Tivoli Gardens, a theme park located in downtown Copenhagen, Denmark. “It is a famous story that Walt Disney was largely inspired by the Danish theme park befor
Nov. 25, 2014
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Stiff competition pressures Hyundai to maintain edge in fuel-cell cars
Hyundai Motor Co., one of the leading pioneers in fuel-cell cars, is coming under pressure to maintain its edge as rivals start launching new hydrogen vehicles, industry sources said Monday.South Korea's largest carmaker claims to be the first company in the world to begin mass production of a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV), with the Tucson in Feb. 2013. The compact zero-emission SUV helped Hyundai be tapped by the European Commission as the pilot company for an initiative to promote fuel-cel
Nov. 24, 2014
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At BMW, sustainability takes front seat
SPARTANBURG, South Carolina ― “Sustainability” and “going green” are buzzwords that get overused, but a growing number of companies are discovering that looking at their operations through a green lens can help them reduce costs and open doors to new opportunities. BMW is already one of the leading players across industries and wants to increase its green cred even more. The luxury carmaker’s North American plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is the production base of the hot-selling X Series
Nov. 23, 2014
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Ford says aluminum pickup’s fuel economy will rise 29%
Ford Motor Co. said its aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup will get as much as 29 percent better fuel economy than its mostly steel predecessor as the automaker gambles with a new design for its top-selling and most profitable model.When equipped with a 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine, the truck has an estimated fuel economy of 26 miles per gallon on the highway and 19 in the city, Raj Nair, Ford’s product-development chief, said yesterday. Production began earlier this month at Ford’s Rouge factory and it’
Nov. 23, 2014
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VW to spend $106 billion chasing Toyota for sales lead
Volkswagen AG will keep pouring money into new vehicles, technology and factories as it chases Toyota Motor Corp. for the lead as world’s largest automaker.VW will invest 85.6 billion euros ($106 billion) over the next five years, Europe’s biggest manufacturer of cars, vans and heavy trucks said Saturday in a statement. The plan calls for an increase in average annual spending on auto operations to about 17.1 billion euros a year, compared with 16.8 billion euros under its previous rolling five-
Nov. 23, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Kia Motors pins hopes on luxury sedan sales
LOS ANGELES ― Kia Motors’ U.S. sales chief Wednesday expressed confidence in selling the carmaker’s first luxury sedan, the K900, despite its lukewarm sales over the past year since its debut. “There is a market for the $60,000 Kia car in the U.S.,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of sales and marketing of Kia Motors America, at the carmaker’s exhibition booth at the LA Auto Show. “There is a niche market for people who don’t want traditional German and American luxury cars and ar
Nov. 23, 2014
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‘Sheer driving pleasure remains core of BMW’
LOS ANGELES ― Having led the successful debut of the i Series over the past year, BMW sales chief Ian Robertson on Wednesday stressed that sheer driving pleasure will remain the core of the German luxury brand even in the era of electric mobility. “The easiest way to improve CO2 emissions is reducing horsepower, but that wouldn’t be for BMW,” he said in an interview with a group of international reporters on the sideline of the LA Auto Show that kicked off Tuesday. “Concepts like sheer driving p
Nov. 20, 2014
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Mercedes revives Maybach name to challenge Rolls-Royce
Mercedes-Benz is reviving the Maybach name for a second time to challenge Rolls-Royce and Bentley for the world’s wealthiest auto buyers.Maybach, a 1930s-era marque, will become the ultraluxury sub-brand of Mercedes, offering more spacious and opulent adaptations of cars like the S-Class sedan. The first vehicle in the rollout will debut later this month.“The customer gets the best our house has to offer,” Ola Kaellenius, sales chief of the Daimler AG unit, said at an event Saturday near Stuttga
Nov. 16, 2014
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Porsche’s cap on 911 styles shows limits to endless choice
Shopping for a car isn’t easy, even for Porsche 911 buyers. The cornerstone of the brand’s lineup comes in 22 variants ― more than its paint options ― and Porsche isn’t alone in offering a plethora of choice.Some BMW AG crossovers and Audi coupes differ by inches, as automakers invent new niches and mix existing body styles at an unprecedented pace. German carmakers alone have expanded their lineups by about 25 percent in the past three years and now offer more than 200 models.That growth may st
Nov. 16, 2014
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Tata Motors profit misses estimates on Land Rover sales
Tata Motors, India’s biggest automaker, posted profit that missed analyst estimates as sales growth at its Jaguar Land Rover unit slowed. Net income fell 7 percent to 32.9 billion rupees ($533 million) in the quarter ended Sept. 30, the Mumbai-based company reported today. That compares with the 45.9 billion-rupee median of 37 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Profit at the luxury unit declined to 450 million pounds ($705 million) from 507 million pounds a year earlier. Deliveries at Ja
Nov. 16, 2014
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Nissan Qashqai a perfect fit for urban nomads
The Nissan Qashqai, since its debut in 2007, has held on to its spot as one of the top-selling compact sport utility vehicles despite facing competition from several fresh alternatives. The concept of smaller SUVs started in the U.S. to cater to drivers who were reluctant to handle hulking SUVs, but still wanted better visibility. Soaring fuel prices also kindled the trend of crossovers. Aware of the growing demand, Nissan took the risk of designing and building the Qashqai in the United Kingdom
Nov. 16, 2014
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Ford expands Ranger pickup recall for Takata air bags
A recall of Ford Motor Ranger pickup trucks in the U.S. was expanded to include more vehicles and more flawed Takata Corp. air bags after a fatal accident in Malaysia exposed a defect in the safety device that wasn’t previously known. Ford will replace driver’s-side and passenger air bags in certain 2004 and 2005 model year Rangers, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statement on Friday. Ford added an unspecified additional number of the trucks to a recall it announced
Nov. 16, 2014
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Korea plans more checks of vehicles’ fuel efficiency
The South Korean government is preparing to tighten its oversight of fuel-economy testing so that the ratings on vehicles’ stickers more closely reflect their actual performance. Three government offices, led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said Thursday that they would issue revised guidelines in the coming weeks to elevate the accuracy of the nation’s fuel-efficiency auditing system. Under the new rules, three vehicles of a new car will be tested to determine their avera
Nov. 13, 2014
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Nissan Qashqai debuts in Korea
The Nissan Qashqai, one of the Japanese carmaker’s most successful cars, made its Korean debut Tuesday. Buoyed by the new launch, the Japanese carmaker predicted that it would have its best year in Korea in 2014, with a record 4,500 unit sales. “The Qashqai arrives at the right time when diesel-powered SUV sales are soaring in Korea. We target to sell more than 200 Qashqais per month,” Nissan Korea CEO Takehiko Kikuchi said during a news conference in Seoul. Nissan’s executive vice president Tak
Nov. 11, 2014