Industry

  • Hyundai launches self-driving taxi service with Uber in Las Vegas
    Hyundai launches self-driving taxi service with Uber in Las Vegas SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group's Ioniq 5-based robotaxis can now be hailed through ride-hailing app Uber in Las Vegas, Nevada. Motional, the automaker's autonomous driving joint venture, said Sunday it has launched a pilot robotaxi service with Uber in the city. The service area includes hotels and shopping districts along the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, with coverage expected to continue expanding. The Ioniq 5 robotaxi is an SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle, March 15, 2026
  • Hyundai halts sales of some Palisade models after U.S. fatal accident, plans recall
    Hyundai halts sales of some Palisade models after U.S. fatal accident, plans recall SEOUL, March 14 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor has suspended sales of certain versions of its large sport utility vehicle (SUV), the All-New Palisade, after identifying a potential safety issue. Hyundai said Saturday that the power-folding function of the second- and third-row seats may fail to detect contact with occupants or objects under certain conditions, prompting the company to temporarily halt sales of vehicles equipped with the feature. According to Reuters, a two-year-old girl d March 14, 2026
  • Renault unveils futuREady strategy, plans 36 new models by 2030
    Renault unveils 'futuREady' strategy, plans 36 new models by 2030 SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - Renault Group unveiled its new mid-to-long-term strategic plan dubbed "futuREady," charting an aggressive course to roll out 36 new models by 2030 as the French automaker seeks to cement its position as Europe's benchmark carmaker amid intensifying global competition. The plan revealed Tuesday (local time), succeeding the Renaulution turnaround strategy launched in 2021, sets a target of more than 2 million annual vehicle sales by 2030, with hal March 11, 2026
  • Hyundai Motor Group overtakes Volkswagen in profitability, claims global No. 2 spot
    Hyundai Motor Group overtakes Volkswagen in profitability, claims global No. 2 spot SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group surpassed Volkswagen Group in annual operating profit for the first time last year, securing the No. 2 position among global automakers in a milestone that underscores the South Korean conglomerate's rising dominance in an increasingly competitive industry. The group, which encompasses Hyundai Motor Company, Kia and premium line Genesis, posted a combined operating profit of 20.55 trillion won ($13.99 billion) in 2025, comfortably ecli March 11, 2026
  • Hanwha Advanced Materials showcases lightweight composite solutions for EVs at global convention
    Hanwha Advanced Materials showcases lightweight composite solutions for EVs at global convention SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - Hanwha Advanced Materials is presenting a suite of lightweight composite solutions for electric vehicles at JEC World 2026, the world's largest composites exhibition running from Tuesday to Thursday in Paris, as the South Korean materials maker ramps up its push into the global mobility market. The company is exhibiting products designed to address two pivotal challenges in EV development — weight reduction and safety — including a lightweight March 11, 2026
  • Hyundai JV Motional remains on track to put driverless taxi on roads this year
    Hyundai JV Motional remains on track to put driverless taxi on roads this year SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -Motional, the autonomous driving joint venture of Hyundai Motor Group, said it remains on track to launch its fully driverless robotaxi service in Las Vegas in the second half of 2026, reaffirming the commercialization timeline it first outlined in January. Laura Major, chief executive of Motional, reiterated the plan during an appearance on Hyundai Motor Group’s official podcast channel, Hyundai Now, where she outlined the company’s technological March 8, 2026
  • Asian carmakers risk collateral damage from prolonged Iran war: report
    Asian carmakers risk collateral damage from prolonged Iran war: report SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -Asian automakers, led by Chinese brands but also including Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation and South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company, could face the biggest fallout if the war triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran turns into a prolonged conflict, according to a report by Bernstein Research. In a recent report, the brokerage said the conflict could hit the global automotive sector through three main channels: collapsing vehicle demand in Ir March 8, 2026
  • EV slump hits hard: SK On slashes 37 percent of Georgia plant staff
    EV slump hits hard: SK On slashes 37 percent of Georgia plant staff SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - SK Battery America, the U.S. unit of South Korean battery maker SK On, has laid off 37 percent of the workforce at its Georgia plant, citing slowing electric vehicle (EV) sales and a shifting market landscape. The company announced on Saturday that it cut 968 jobs out of its 2,566 employees at the manufacturing facility in Commerce, Georgia. The restructuring comes as the global EV transition loses momentum. The plant, which supplies batteries to aut March 7, 2026
  • Hyundai, Kia face challenges amid EUs push for local EV production
    Hyundai, Kia face challenges amid EU's push for local EV production SEOUL, March 6 (AJP) - Auto industry workers are closely monitoring developments as the European Union unveiled its Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) earlier this week, a proposal aimed at boosting local manufacturing by imposing stricter requirements on global automakers. In a press release out on Wednesday, the European Commission said it has "adopted a legislative proposal to increase demand for low-carbon, European-made technologies and products," adding that IAA will March 6, 2026
  • Tesla leads South Koreas imported-car market
    Tesla leads South Korea's imported-car market SEOUL, March 5 (AJP) - U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla claimed the top spot in South Korea's imported-car market last month, boosted by brisk sales of its revamped Model Y, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said on Thursday. Some 27,190 imported vehicles were newly registered last month, up 29.7 percent from 20,960 units the previous month and 34.6 percent higher than a year earlier. The cumulative number of registrations for the first two mont March 5, 2026