Mercedes-Benz steps up Korea push with 10 vehicle launches

Mercedes-Benz will launch 10 models in the Korean market this year — part of its largest rollout ever — as it steps up competition in the country’s luxury car segment. In its push toward electrification, the company said it will unveil four new models developed on next-generation platforms — the all-new electric and hybrid CLA sedans, the all-new electric GLC SUV and the all-new electric GLB SUV— alongside six facelifted versions of its premium and SUV models. According to Mercedes-Benz Korea CE

Jan. 22, 2026

Hyundai's new autonomy chief vows to take on Tesla

Park Min-woo, who will take charge of Hyundai Motor Group's advanced vehicle platform division and autonomous driving unit 42dot from February, has laid out a commercialization-first strategy aimed squarely at challenging industry leader Tesla. In a message shared Tuesday with employees of the division and 42dot, Park acknowledged uncertainty following the sudden departure of former 42dot CEO Song Chang-hyun in December, thanking staff for maintaining organizational stability during the transiti

Jan. 22, 2026

[Photo News] Renault begins Filante production in Busan

Renault Korea has started mass production of Filante, its global flagship crossover, at its Busan plant, celebrating a first-vehicle rollout on Wednesday. Blending sedan-like comfort with the robustness of an SUV, Filante features a premium tech lounge interior, a 250-horsepower E-Tech hybrid powertrain and advanced AI-based connectivity and safety systems. Priced from 43.31 million won ($29,400), customer deliveries are set to begin in March.

Jan. 22, 2026

Behind Hyundai’s Atlas, battery race is taking shape

The rapid rise of physical AI robotics has put Hyundai Motor Group’s Atlas humanoid in the spotlight. But as humanoid robots move from demonstrations toward real-world deployment, attention is increasingly shifting to a less visible constraint: the batteries that will determine how long, how reliably, and how safely these systems can operate. LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI, already integrated into Hyundai’s broader robotics ecosystem, are emerging as key contenders. While batteries account f

Jan. 21, 2026

Hyundai Motor breaks W100tr mark as robotics bet pays off

Hyundai Motor Company crossed the 100 trillion won ($67.7 billion) market capitalization mark Tuesday, fueled by rising investor optimism over its push into physical AI-powered robotics, led by the humanoid robot Atlas. According to the Korea Exchange, Hyundai Motor shares rose 2.92 percent to 494,000 won at the open, lifting its market cap to 101.15 trillion won on the Kospi. The rally also propelled the automaker back to third place among Korea-listed companies, behind Samsung Electronics and

Jan. 20, 2026

[Photo News] Genesis performance on display in Davos

Genesis, a luxury auto brand by Hyundai Motor Group, is turning heads at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with its showcase of the GV60 Magma (left) and GMR-001 Hypercar. The two vehicles will be on display through Friday at the Ameron Hotel, alongside the annual gathering of global political, business and academic leaders. The GV60 Magma is the brand’s first high-performance model, while the GMR-001 Hypercar racecar will be run by the Genesis Magma Racing team in competitions sta

Jan. 20, 2026

Autonomous A2Z jumps to No. 7 in global autonomous driving rankings

Autonomous A2Z has ranked seventh globally in Guidehouse Research’s Automated Driving Systems Leaderboard, marking its highest position to date, the autonomous driving startup said Monday. Guidehouse, a global market consultancy spun off from PwC, has published the world’s only autonomous driving rankings since 2015, evaluating companies on strategy and execution. Autonomous A2Z first entered the leaderboard in 2023 at No. 13, rose to No. 11 in 2024 and then jumped to No. 7, making it the only K

Jan. 19, 2026

Tesla ignites EV price war in Korea with Model 3 cuts

Tesla has slashed the price of its mass-market Model 3 in Korea, intensifying pricing pressure across an electric vehicle market already grappling with weakening demand. Tesla Korea recently announced that the price of the Model 3 Standard RWD has been cut to 41.99 million won ($28,500) from 59.9 million won, while the newly introduced Premium Long Range RWD is priced at 52.99 million won. With governmental EV subsidies of 1.68 million won and 4.2 million won, respectively, as well as factoring

Jan. 19, 2026

Hyundai, Kia post record US market share in 2025 despite Trump tariffs

Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister Kia Corp. posted a record combined market share in the United States in 2025, buoyed by expanded local production and strong hybrid vehicle sales, despite Washington's aggressive tariff measures, officials said Sunday. The two South Korean automakers sold a combined 1.84 million vehicles in the US last year, accounting for a record market share of 11.3 percent, according to data from market watcher Wards Intelligence and industry sources. Hyundai accounted for 6.

Jan. 18, 2026

Hyundai Motor taps ex-Tesla Optimus chief as Boston Dynamics adviser

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday it has appointed Milan Kovac, former vice president in charge of Tesla’s Optimus, as a group adviser and outside director at its US-based robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics, stepping up its push into humanoid robotics. With nearly two decades of experience across software, hardware and AI-driven robotics, Kovac has built high-performance engineering organizations that enable rapid development cycles while delivering breakthrough results. Most recently, Kovac work

Jan. 16, 2026

Audi Korea bets on A6, Q3 launches to fuel 2026 growth

Audi Korea on Thursday laid out an ambitious product and expansion plan for 2026, seeking to continue momentum from last year's rebound that the company said restored customer trust and delivered double-digit sales growth. The German carmaker said the launches of the new A6 sedan and third-generation Q3 compact SUV will lead its 2026 lineup, alongside additional models in segments not previously offered in Korea, without disclosing further details. “Together, these models represent more than sal

Jan. 15, 2026

How Hyundai’s humanoid robots stole the spotlight at CES

Few expected a legacy automaker to dominate the conversation at one of the world’s largest tech shows. Yet at CES 2026, Hyundai Motor Group turned humanoid robots into one of the event’s defining buzzwords. Over four days in Las Vegas, more than 20,500 visitors — up 28 percent from two years earlier — queued to see Hyundai’s expanding robotics lineup, from the four-legged Spot robot and the MobED mobility platform to the headline-grabbing Atlas humanoid. Among the 38 companies listed in the huma

Jan. 15, 2026

Hyundai Palisade named North American utility vehicle of the year

Hyundai Motor Company said Thursday that its Palisade had been named North American Utility Vehicle of the Year in Detroit. The victory marks Hyundai Motor Group’s ninth overall North American Car of the Year win, following the Genesis sedan in 2009, Avante in 2012, Genesis G70 and Kona in 2019, Kia’s Telluride in 2020, Avante again in 2021, Kia’s EV6 in 2023 and EV9 in 2024. Hyundai saw added significance in the award, as hybrid vehicles are gaining traction in North America. Judges cited the P

Jan. 15, 2026

Renault Korea CEO: Filante to drive next export push

Free from direct exposure to the US-driven tariff war but hit by weakening demand in its overseas markets and Renault Group’s shift toward profitability over volume, Renault Korea is betting on the Filante crossover to revive exports and broaden its global footprint. According to Renault Korea CEO Nicolas Paris, the company plans to begin exporting the newly launched model by the end of this year, with Latin America and the Middle East designated as priority markets. Speaking during a group inte

Jan. 14, 2026

Hyundai taps ex-Nvidia VP to lead autonomous driving

Hyundai Motor Group has hired a former Nvidia vice president to lead its autonomous driving development, as the South Korean carmaker is putting all-out efforts into strengthening its capabilities in software-defined and autonomous vehicles. Park Min-woo, who most recently served as a vice president of software for autonomous vehicles at Nvidia, will oversee software development across the group while serving as head of its Advanced Vehicle Platform division and as chief executive of the group’s

Jan. 13, 2026