news highlight

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  Kia to invest 49 trillion won by 2030 with nearly half for future mobility SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - Kia will invest a record 49 trillion won (about U$32.67 billion) through 2030, allocating 21 trillion won or more than 40 percent to future-focused businesses such as electrification, autonomous driving and robotics, the automaker said on Thursday. The investment plan, unveiled at an investment blitz at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, is part of Kia's mid- to long-term strategy to transform into a sustainable mobility solutions company. It marks Kia' April 9, 2026
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  Hyundai Motor, Kia to report double-digit fall in Q1 income despite robust sales SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) – South Korea's top automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia are expected to deliver double-digit falls in their respective first-quarter operating profit on multiple whammies - U.S. tariffs, currency-driven cost pressures and recall-related expenses – despite robust sales. Hyundai Motor is projected to report operating profit of 2.94 trillion won ($2.0 billion) for the January–March period, down 19 percent from a year earlier, and its sister m April 9, 2026
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  GM Korea signals full turnaround as it pays out first regular dividend SEOUL, April 06 (AJP) - General Motors Korea said it will pay its first regular dividend to shareholders, marking the clearest sign yet that the once-ailing Korean unit of the U.S. automaker has completed a turnaround eight years after its Gunsan plant was shuttered and billions of dollars in public and private capital were mobilized to prevent its collapse. The automaker's board approved an interim dividend on April 3, though the company did not disclose the payout's size i April 6, 2026
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  Hyundai Motor bets on EV re-pivot after Gulf crisis SEOUL, April 02 (AJP) -South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group is stepping harder on the pedal in battery development and factory upgrades, after a period of stalled investment amid weak demand, as it bets on a structural shift toward non-fuel vehicles triggered by the global energy crisis. Its affiliate Kia said Wednesday that domestic sales of eco-friendly vehicles — including hybrids, electric vehicles and hydrogen-powered cars — jumped 51.9 percent on-year in March to April 2, 2026
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  Kia launches massive recruitment drive SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) - Kia will hire a large number of new employees in the first half of this year, a rare move at a time when many companies are tightening their belts amid a prolonged economic slowdown, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The automaker said on Wednesday that the recruitment drive, which will hire both entry-level and experienced workers as well as interns across some 34 fields within the company, aims to expand opportunities for young talent April 1, 2026
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  Hyundai's US, Europe plants run full while Southeast Asia lags SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group is facing widening disparities across its global production network, with plants in the United States and Europe operating at or above full capacity while Southeast Asian facilities remain underutilized. The divergence comes as the automaker accelerates localization strategies amid rising global protectionism, but weak demand and intensifying competition have weighed on its Southeast Asian operations. According to Hyundai Motor Group on March 26, 2026
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  GM commits $600 mln to South Korea plants, doubling down on small SUV hub SEOUL, March 25 (AJP) - General Motors announced it will invest $600 million in its South Korean operations to upgrade production facilities and sharpen its global competitiveness, cementing the country's role as a key manufacturing hub for small SUVs. The Detroit automaker said Wednesday the latest commitment of $300 million — earmarked for press machinery upgrades and plant modernization — builds on an equal investment announced in December 2025 for product enhance March 25, 2026
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  Kakao Mobility launches recruitment drive for end-to-end autonomous driving engineers SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - Kakao Mobility announced it has launched a recruitment drive targeting engineers in four autonomous driving specialties as the South Korean mobility platform accelerates its push to develop in-house end-to-end self-driving technology. The company said Friday it has created a dedicated "Physical AI" tab on its hiring page and will recruit experienced engineers in autonomous driving AI, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), hardware, and elect March 20, 2026
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  Kia targets 13 EV models by 2030, accelerates PBV and software pivot SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - Kia outlined plans to expand its electric vehicle lineup to 13 models by 2030 and deepen its push into purpose-built vehicles and software-defined cars, as the automaker seeks to reposition itself amid a global slowdown in EV demand. President Song Ho-sung presented the strategy at the company's annual general meeting held at its headquarters in southern Seoul on Friday, identifying three priorities: EV mass-market expansion, growth of its purpose-built v March 20, 2026