Samsung SDI’s recent joint venture deal with General Motors to construct an electric vehicle battery cell manufacturing plant in Indiana is expected to play a pivotal role in fostering a more advanced manufacturing workforce. “We’ve got five auto OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) (including GM and Toyota) in Indiana that give us tons of auto (workers). However, they are mostly focused on working on the production lines of internal combustion engine cars,” Indiana&rs

Mobility July 13, 2023

Hyundai Motor Group’s sister firm Kia said Tuesday it has tapped Pierre-Martin Bos, a commercial vehicle specialist, as the European chief of its burgeoning purpose-built vehicle, or PBV, business. PBVs refer to battery-powered cars designed to meet specific customer needs such as delivery, ride-hailing and business-to-business transactions. With 25 years of experience, Bos previously worked for Fiat and Stellantis, where he was tasked with handling sales and marketing of commercial vehicl

Mobility July 11, 2023

Hyundai Motor Group became the second-largest car brand in terms of sales in the US electric vehicles market in the first quarter of this year, data showed Monday. Following Tesla’s 336,892 units, Hyundai and its smaller affiliate, Kia, sold 38,457 units in the first half of this year, up by 11 percent compared to 2022, according to auto market tracker Motor Intelligence, cited by CNBC. Hyundai-Kia outpaced General Motors, which was second in EV sales during the January - June period last

Mobility July 10, 2023

Hyundai Motor Group has reportedly started discussions on its electric vehicle charger strategy as a growing number of carmakers are joining market leader Tesla’s own Supercharger network in the US, according to industry sources Monday. “I’ve heard that Hyundai Motor Group has been holding a series of emergency meetings to tackle the issue,” an industry source close to the matter told The Korea Herald on condition of anonymity. “The carmaker has been preparing to bo

Mobility July 10, 2023

LG Energy Solution said Thursday it has come to an agreement with the Canadian government on the conditions of subsidies for the construction of a joint battery plant for electric vehicles with Stellantis. Nextstar Energy, a joint venture between LG Energy Solution and Stellantis, signed the final contract for the battery production plant in the Canadian province of Ontario. Meanwhile, the federal and local governments agreed to offer subsidies equivalent to those provided under the US’ In

Mobility July 6, 2023

Volvo Trucks President Roger Alm visited South Korea to show the company’s commitment to cater to the fast-growing demand of electric commercial trucks in the nation’s logistics industry, the company said Wednesday. During a luncheon with corporate clients in a hotel in Seoul, Alm stressed the importance of the Korean market and pinned high hopes on its Korean unit in creating a strong foothold in the electric heavy-duty vehicles market. Aside from battery-powered trucks, the truckma

Mobility July 5, 2023

The number of ultra-expensive luxury cars priced at over 300 million won ($231,00) sold in South Korea has exceeded 6,000 units, a report showed Tuesday. As of April, 6,299 units of high-priced cars were registered nationwide, according to a report from Rep. Yang Kyung-suk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, citing data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Vehicles priced between 300 million and 500 million won hit 5,006 units, while the ones priced at over 500

Mobility July 4, 2023

David Turk, deputy secretary at the US Department of Energy, visited the construction site of BlueOval SK in Stanton, Tennessee, a joint venture of SK On and Ford Motor Co., the South Korean battery maker said Monday. “BlueOval SK is a project that shows fantastic partnership among the US government, SK On, Ford and BlueOval SK,” Turk said during a meeting with SK On, Ford Motor and SK BlueOval executives and US government officials on Thursday. “I think this is a phenomenal

Mobility July 3, 2023

Switzerland-based elevator manufacturer Schindler Holding AG’s recent stake sale snafu in Hyundai Elevator is escalating doubts about its yearslong attempt at a hostile merger and acquisition of the Korean company, industry sources said Sunday. The second-largest shareholder of Hyundai Elevator has reportedly filed a regulatory filing to make it look like it is selling a large number of shares when in fact, it only sold a small portion of its stake. The Swiss company announced last Monda

Industry July 2, 2023

KC Motors’ luxury limousine brand Noble Klasse is a leading player in the nation’s premium limousine market that is equipped with both design and production capabilities. Since its debut in 2015, its limousine lineup consists of L4, L9, L9 Standard and L13 models based on the number of passenger seats. The smallest second generation L4 is the nation’s first limousine with a full partition that offers a comfortable ride for a limited number of VIP passengers. The car comes with

Mobility June 28, 2023

Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday it has made follow-on investments worth 2 billion won ($1.5 million) in Korea-based auto chip startup Bos Semiconductors in a move to boost its autonomous car business. Under the deal, the carmaker plans to strengthen its strategic partnership with the startup and develop auto chips for self-driving cars and electric vehicles. Further details on the investment including in which car lineups the startup’s chips will be installed were not made available. Th

Mobility June 28, 2023

South Korea has become Lamborghini’s eighth-largest market in the world and No.1 in the Asia Pacific last year, selling over 400 units for the first time. With the growing strategic importance of the Korean market, the Italian high-end car brand is upping the ante here with its first hybrid sports car Revuelto, according to the company’s regional chief. “(Even before the official launch,) through pre-orders, the allocated number of cars until 2025 for the Korean market has comp

Mobility June 27, 2023

Unlike other global carmakers going all-out to launch fully electric vehicles, Toyota and its premium brand Lexus have insisted on developing hybrid cars. However, with burgeoning demand for battery-powered EVs (BEVs) in Korean and other major countries’ clean car markets, Lexus aims to expand its footing with the first BEV lineup, The All New Electric RZ. RZ 450e, the first EV in the RZ lineup, is a crossover utility vehicle -- a mix of sedan and sport utility vehicle -- that runs on To

Mobility June 26, 2023

Lamborghini said Friday it would be launching its first plug-in hybrid high-performance sports car, the Revuelto, in Korea. “Revuelto sets another big milestone for Lamborghini’s new flagship vehicle. This is an important moment for us to launch the car model here in Korea,” Francesco Scardaoni, Asia Pacific regional director of Lamborghini, said at a press conference in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. Named after a Spanish fighting bull, Revuelto merges the best of Lamborghini&rsq

Mobility June 23, 2023

Toyota’s premium brand Lexus on Wednesday announced the Korean launch of its first battery-powered electric vehicle, the all-new electric RZ 450e, marking a shift from its hybrid EV-focused business portfolio. “Korea is a key market for understanding the latest trends of (the) automotive market because customers here are trend-savvy and show great interest in cutting-edge technology,” said Lexus International CEO Watanabe Takashi during a press conference in Seoul. “Latel

Mobility June 21, 2023