Toyota and Honda want to Win Back Sales Share from Hyundai Sonata with New Models

Not too long ago, if someone told you that a South Korean model would challenge America’s best selling sedan, the Toyota Camry, you would have probably laughed in his or her face.

Needless to say, a lot has changed over the past few years with Hyundai and in particular its latest Sonata sedan, not only challenging, but this past May even surpassing the Camry in U.S. sales for the first time in history.

Of course, the fact that Toyota’s production capabilities were seriously affected by the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, played a significant role in Hyundai’s accomplishment.

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Renault Koleos SUV Refreshed for the 2012 Model Year

It’s only three years old, but it’s apparently time for the Renault Koleos compact SUV to receive its first facelift. The changes include an exterior makeover and new interior trim, plus noticeable CO2 and fuel consumption savings in the case of the crossover model’s range of diesel powerplants.

The first thing you’ll notice on the updated model is the brand new fascia, evidently inspired by the newly launched Latitude sedan, which like the Koleos, is the product of Renault Samsung Motors in Busan, South Korea.

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Argentina Agrees to Allow Hyundai and Kia Imports for Peanuts – Literally…

Argentina’s exports for imports saga continues, with South Korean carmaker Hyundai agreeing to export peanuts, wine, biodiesel and soy flour to offset the US$91 million (€64 million) it added to Argentina’s growing trade deficit in 2010. Partner company / subsidiary Kia has agreed export white goods and plastics for their contribution.

The South American nation’s US$6 billion (€4.19 billion) trade deficit has already led to one Porsche distributor agreeing to export wine and olive products, while similar deals have been struck with carmakers Chery, GM, Peugeot-Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Fiat and Ford.

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Renault Samsung Debut New SM7 Saloon in South Korea

The Renault-Nissan alliance’s South Korean subsidiary Samsung has presented the production version of its SM7 sedan model, which was displayed as a thinly disguised concept car at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show this past April.

Putting aside some minor details such as the lower parts of the front and rear bumpers, and the less extravagant choice of alloy wheels, nothing else has changed from the concept model.

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Hyundai Set to Become Sixth Biggest Automaker in the U.S. In 2011

In the realm of U.S. automotive sales, 8% is a magic number. When an automaker hits 8%, they know they’ve become one of the big guns. Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Dodge and Nissan have all made it, and 2011 is expected to be Hyundai’s year.

So sayeth market research firm Polk, and I’m tempted to agree. Hyundai and its partner-brand / internal rival Kia have steadily been evolving into truly world-class carmakers. They’re keenly priced, inoffensive to look at and comprehensively covered quality-wise – everything the vast majority of new car buyers want in this day and age.

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GM to Build and Sell New 2013 Chevrolet Malibu in Korea

General Motors is quite serious about selling its upcoming 2013 Chevrolet Malibu on a global scale. So serious, in fact, that the Detroit automaker is making plans to built the mid-size model on several continents. Today, GM revealed that will build and sell the redesigned Malibu sedan in Korea. We’ll remind you that earlier this year, GM Korea announced it is replacing the Daewoo nameplate with the Chevrolet brand for the local market. Read more »

Renault-Samsung Shows SM7 Pre-Production Concept

After last month's teaser sketch, Renault's Korean subsidiary Samsung unveiled the SM7 Concept at the Seoul Motor Show. In essence, it’s a pre-production design study that previews the next generation of Renault Samsung's flagship model, the SM7.

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Stunning Chevrolet Mi-ray Roadster Concept Premieres at Seoul Motor Show

GM's Korean subsidiary lifted the wraps off the Mi-ray hybrid roadster concept at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show today, as a tribute to Chevrolet's 100th anniversary this year. The aggressive-looking Mi-ray (which means “future” in Korean) was developed by the GM Advanced Design Studio in Seoul and pays homage to the bow-tie brand's sports car heritage.

The roadster uses styling cues from Chevy's 1963 Monza SS and the 1962 Corvair Super Spyder, but also from aircrafts, with its aerodynamic fuselage being reminiscent of modern jet fighters. Elements like the scissor-doors, the pronounced wheel-arches and the sharp front bumper add further drama to the Mi-ray's appearance.

The car's bodywork is made of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastics, while the turbine-shaped wheels (20-inch front/21-inch rear) are made of aluminum-carbon fiber composite.

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Kia Unveils Naimo EV Concept at Seoul Motor Show

Making its world premiere today at the at the Seoul Motor Show, is Kia’s Naimo electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV), a B-segment sized concept car that will serve as a test-bed for the company's EV technology. Penned by Kia's international design team in Seoul, the car takes its name from the Korean word “Ne-mo”, which is pronounced ‘Neh-mo’ and means ‘square shape.

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New Hyundai Blue2 Fuel Cell Concept Debuts at Seoul Motor Show

The 2011 Seoul Motor Show that runs in South Korea from March 31 to April 10 plays host to the world premiere of the all-new Hyundai Blue2 concept study. The name ‘Blue2’, which is read ‘Blue square’, is a combination of Hyundai’s sub eco-brand ‘Blue Drive’ and the number `2’ from H2, the symbol for hydrogen gas.

Codenamed HND-6, the prototype is Hyundai’s first sedan-style Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). The four-door saloon is powered by a fuel cell electric system that delivers a stack power of 90kW or 121HP and fuel economy of 34.9km/ℓ (of hydrogen, of course), which is equal to 82mpg US and 2.9lt/100km. The concept is also equipped with low-resistance tires and alloy wheels which are designed to improve aerodynamic performance.

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Renault Samsung SM7 Concept Teased ahead of Seoul Motor Show

Renault's South Korean brand Samsung released a teaser sketch of the SM7 concept car that previews the next-generation of the firm’s large sedan. The current SM7, which is built on Nissan’s J31 platform that underpins the Asian market Nissan Teana and the sixth-generation of the North American Nissan Maxima, has been on the market since 2004. Read more »

SCOOP: Kia Readying a Facelift for the 2012 Soul

It appears that the Soul is the next vehicle in Kia’s list to receive an update. Caught here in testing in Germany by our spy photographers, the bagged-up ends do their job to hide the Soul’s stylistic upgrades with the only visible change being the redesigned exterior mirrors that house the turning lights.

However, it is expected that the Soul will take some cues from the new Picanto and Rio hatchbacks (both of which were revealed at the Geneva Motor Show) such as the pulled back headlamps and more pronounced bumpers. An interior rework may also be in the cards.

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GM to Drop Daewoo Name and Replace it with Chevrolet in South Korea

What started a few years back with the re-branding of Daewoo's portfolio to Chevrolets in select markets including Europe, is now being rolled out globally with the replacement of the nameplate in South Korea. From now on, all of the company’s new product introductions will be under the Chevrolet badge, while GM Daewoo Auto & Technology will change its company name to GM Korea Co. The Detroit automaker said the name change is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter this year. Read more »

Hyundai Rolls Out 2012 Grandeur / Azera in Korea, Releases Video Showing the Car's Evolution from 1986

Hyundai has been advertising the all-new generation of its Grandeur for quite some time now, but today, the automaker officially launched the large sedan in its home market. The new Grandeur, which will be badged as the 2012 Azera in the States, arrives in the Korean market six years after its predecessor’s launch in May 2005.

Codenamed HG, the 2012 Grandeur is result of three-and-a-half years and 450 billion won (about US$415 million) of research, development and testing. Positioned between the Sonata and the Genesis sedan, the new Grandeur measures 4,910mm (193.3") long, 1,860mm (73.2") wide and 1,470mm (57.9") tall. It rides on a 2,845mm-long (112") wheelbase, which is 65mm (2.6") longer than the outgoing model.

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Hyundai - Kia Group Targeting a 10-Percent Increase in Sales for 2011

For the Hyundai Motor Group and its affiliate Kia Motors, the New Year brings a new sales target as the South Korea's largest automaker said on Monday it aims to sell 6.33 million cars in 2011, which represents a 10 percent increase over 2010 when the company sold a combined total of 5.75 million units. More specifically, Hyundai delivered 3.6 million cars (up 16 percent from 2009), while sold Kia 2.1 million vehicles (+40 percent over 2009) worldwide last year.

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Hyundai Launches First 4-D Commercial for New Azera Sedan

Hyundai is banking on the latest film technologies to promote its new Azera sedan, at least on its home turf. The automaker released a new advertisement for the mid-size saloon, which is named Grandeur in its home market, in select 4-D and 3-D movie theaters in South Korea. Read more »

Saudi Arabia Signs $500 Million Deal with Korean Company to Build Cars

The King Saud University (KSU) on Sunday announced a $500 million deal with South Korea's Digm Automotive Technology to set up Saudi Arabia's first car manufacturing company. The Saudi university recently made headlines with the Mercedes G-Class-based 'Gazal 1' (pictured above) after announcing that the SUV is heading for production.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the university's investment arm, Wadi al-Riyadh Technology, will contribute 10 to 15 per cent of the financing for the new venture, with the South Korean firm providing 30 per cent, while the rest will be covered by investors.

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Korean Designer Mixes Science and Nature in a Saab Sports Sedan Concept for 2025

Earlier this year, Swedish automaker Saab was saved from the scrapheap by Spyker and a loan from the European Investment Bank. In spite of this, nothing much has changed. The stylish new 9-5 has gone on sale overseas, with the 9-4X crossover following in Q2 2011. And the aging 9-3 trundles on, blissfully unaware that anything has happened.

Korean design student Youngho Jong is looking towards Saab’s future with his 2025 Advanced Warning System Vehicle concept: a rakish, four-door saloon with coupe-like styling. And no headroom, by the looks of it, but that’s a forgivable oversight. More interesting to us, however, is how he used his knowledge of nature and human psychology to come up with a vehicle that isn’t just smart, it’s downright sinister.

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Hyundai Evaluating the Creation of a Separate Genesis Brand to Compete with Lexus, May Build a BMW 3-Series Rival

If you were wondering what's next on the Hyundai and Kia Group's agenda of world domination, the answer is the addition of a third brand to the firm's portfolio to compete head on with Japan's Lexus and Infiniti, and possibly even Germany's finest, including BMW and Audi.

The luxury arm would most likely be called Genesis and include the South Korean firm's current rear-wheel drive offerings such as the Genesis Sedan and Coupe, plus the soon-to-be-launched onto the American market, Lexus LS-rivaling Equus.

The automaker, which saw its U.S. market share increase by an overly impressive 50 per cent in the past two years, would further enhance the range of the Genesis brand with a compact sports saloon in the likes of BMW's best-selling model, the 3-Series, and a crossover utility vehicle to compete with the Lexus RX 350.

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Kia Sketches New Picanto City Car Ahead of Geneva Show Debut

We've known for a while now that Kia is preparing a successor to its Picanto city car, but today, the South Korean automaker came out with a pair of official renderings and a short announcement which said the small hatchback will get its world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2011 and go on sale in Europe in late Spring. Read more »