EVs near one-fifth of South Korea car sales

South Korea’s electric-vehicle market hit a milestone in August, with EVs accounting for nearly one in five cars sold, as new model launches and rising consumer demand fuel adoption. A total of 23,269 battery-powered passenger cars were newly registered last month out of 126,787 vehicles sold nationwide, according to mobility tracker Carisyou. The 18.4 percent share marks the highest level since the firm began compiling data in 2020. Imported EVs are gaining traction even faster. Registrations o

Sept. 21, 2025

Genesis puts impetus on Central Asian expansion

Genesis has opened up a showroom in Kazakhstan as the Korean premium auto brand under Hyundai Motor Group looks to accelerate its expansion in Central Asia. According to industry sources on Sunday, Genesis held an opening ceremony for the Almaty Genesis Showcase earlier in September. The showroom will be operated by local distributor Astana Motors. Almaty Genesis Showcase, a three-story building with a gross floor area of 1,705 square meters, will display the automaker’s signature models such as

Sept. 21, 2025

Charancha drives mobility shift with blockchain, AI-powered trust

Charancha, a mobility platform company, was founded to address problems in the used car market with technology. Going over and beyond as a platform for buying and selling used cars, Charancha has set out a vision to create a new mobility ecosystem based on data and trust. After its launch in 2021, the company has shown continuous growth, logging 66.5 billion won ($48 million) in revenue last year, up 84 percent on year. Kwon Hyeok-min, vice chair of Deutsch Automobile Group, the parent company o

Sept. 19, 2025

Hyundai shifts gears: 7 new N models, 100,000-unit target by 2030

Hyundai Motor Company plans to roll out at least seven new performance models and reach annual sales of 100,000 units by 2030, further expanding its presence in the global high-performance car market. The announcement was made during a media event celebrating the 10th anniversary of Hyundai’s high-performance brand, Hyundai N, held Thursday in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. At the event, the company also unveiled plans to continue developing internal combustion and hybrid models for the N series, ca

Sept. 19, 2025

Hyundai bets W77tr on eco-friendly growth amid tariffs, EV slowdown

Hyundai Motor Company said Thursday it would invest 77.3 trillion won ($56 billion) over the next five years — an increase of 7 trillion won from last year — to navigate tariff pressures and slowing electric vehicle demand, while reinforcing its mid- to long-term strategy. Under the investment, the auto giant plans to add 1.2 million units of annual production capacity across its global facilities by 2030. That is 20,000 units more than announced at last year’s announcement. This includes boosti

Sept. 18, 2025

Posco Future M, SK Innovation E&S launch solar project to cut plant emissions

Posco Future M announced Thursday that it has partnered with SK Innovation E&S to initiate a solar power project aimed at reducing carbon emissions at its industrial sites. Under the agreement, SK Innovation E&S will install 2.5 megawatts of solar panels on the rooftops and parking lots of Posco Future M’s plants, generating 2.8 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy annually. Posco Future M will purchase the electricity to power its operations, a move expected to reduce carbon emissions by approxim

Sept. 18, 2025

Hyundai, Kia brace for tougher US fight as tariffs linger, EV aid ends

Hyundai Motor and Kia are buckling up for a tougher battle in the United States amid the stalling tariff negotiations between Seoul and Washington, with the US federal subsidies for electric vehicles set to end this month. Although Korea and the US agreed to lower the tariffs imposed on Korean-made US-bound auto exports to 15 percent from 25 percent at the end of July, the two countries have failed to finalize terms to bring the agreed levies into effect. For non-US automakers like Hyundai and K

Sept. 18, 2025

Fescaro, TUV Nord join forces on auto cybersecurity compliance

South Korean mobility software solutions provider Fescaro said Wednesday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with TUV Nord, a German global testing and certification organization, to cooperate in the automotive cybersecurity regulatory compliance business. Under the agreement, the two companies will develop a one-stop solution to help automakers and suppliers meet compliance requirements. The service will encompass consulting for cybersecurity management systems, education and train

Sept. 17, 2025

[Photo News] Genesis Magma clinches third LMP2 win

The Genesis Magma Racing team, operated by Hyundai Motor, celebrates on the podium after winning the Le Mans Prototype 2 class at 4 Hours of Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England, Sunday, the fifth round of the 2025 European Le Mans Series. With this victory, the team secured their third win of the season in the class, a category that uses standardized chassis and engines to ensure balanced vehicle performance. With one round remaining in the series, Genesis Magma Racing currently sits second

Sept. 17, 2025

SK Innovation, KBR team up on battery recycling

SK Innovation announced Wednesday it is entering the global battery recycling market by licensing its battery metal recycling technology to KBR, a Texas-based energy solutions provider. Kim Pil-seok, head of the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at SK Innovation, and Gautham Krishnaiah, chief technology officer of KBR, attended the signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding Tuesday at the Fastmarkets European Battery Raw Materials Conference 2025 held in Lisbon, Portuga

Sept. 17, 2025

SK On names first Europe chief in EV push

SK On has appointed a former Continental sales executive as its first head of Europe, underscoring the company’s drive to expand its foothold in the world’s second-largest electric vehicle market. According to media reports on Wednesday, Thomas Eller, a former senior executive at the German auto parts giant, officially assumed the newly established role earlier this month. Eller spent nearly two decades at Continental until May of this year, where he held several leadership roles in global sales

Sept. 17, 2025

SK On completes pilot plant, fast-tracks all-solid-state battery to 2029

SK On said Tuesday that it has completed the construction of its pilot plant for the next-generation all-solid-state batteries, accelerating commercialization by one year to 2029. All-solid-state battery cells are considered game-changers as they dramatically reduce the risk of battery explosion and electric vehicle fires compared to conventional lithium-ion battery products. SK On held a completion ceremony Monday for its all-solid-state battery pilot plant at the Future Technology Institute in

Sept. 16, 2025

Autonomous A2Z gears up for APEC debut, taking on Waymo, Tesla

Who would have imagined that Autonomous A2Z, a startup with just 220 employees in South Korea, would rise to become the official operator of self-driving vehicles for the 2025 APEC summit? From its humble beginnings in 2018, led by CEO Han Ji-hyeong and three colleagues who left Hyundai Motor Group, the company has quickly emerged as a global pioneer in Level 4 autonomous driving, competing head-on with tech giants Waymo and Tesla. For the upcoming APEC summit, slated for Oct. 31–Nov. 1 in Gyeon

Sept. 15, 2025

Volvo EX30 Cross Country blends power and price

Volvo’s new EX30 Cross Country, the Swedish carmaker’s first electric version of the wagon-style SUV, has hit the Korean market, combining compact size with sports car-like power. Marking Volvo’s first Cross Country model built on a fully electric SUV platform, the EX30 Cross Country signals Volvo’s strategic push to expand the Cross Country line -- previously focused on wagons such as the V60 and V90 -- into the electric vehicle space. The Korea Herald got the chance to drive the five-seater Vo

Sept. 14, 2025

Hyundai Motor CEO expects 2-to-3-month delay at Georgia battery plant in wake of immigration raid

Hyundai Motor is expecting a delay of two to three months in the construction of its joint battery plant with LG Energy Solution in Georgia following a massive immigration raid by US authorities last week, according to Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz on Thursday. Making his first public comments since the crackdown, Munoz told reporters on the sidelines of the Automotive News Congress in Detroit that it is typical for an automotive battery plant to employ highly skilled workers to get things off th

Sept. 12, 2025