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Category: Automotive

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Auto and Car news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • SK unit to supply batteries to VW

    SK unit to supply batteries to VW

    SK Innovation is supplying electric car batteries to Volkswagen Group along with existing suppliers LG Chem and Samsung SDI, the Korean battery maker said Wednesday. The Volkswagen Group brands plan to launch 50 new fully electric models by 2025, and the group said it needs more battery supplies in a statement Tuesday. SK Innovation was the last of the four battery suppliers selected by the carmaker.

    SK Innovation will start supplying batteries to Volkswagen cars in Europe from 2019. LG Chem and Samsung SDI are also strategic partners in the auto company’s European operations.

    From 2022, SK Innovation will also supply batteries for the North American market.

    The group’s electric car production in China will source batteries from Chinese partner Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) from 2019.

    SK Group’s battery arm is planning on covering Volkswagen orders by setting up new facilities in Europe and the United States. Currently, the company is mulling three locations in the United States, it said, without giving details about the production capacity or the amount of investment. As for its newly-planned European plant, the company said it is considering multiple locations including Hungary, where it is already building a plant.

    When all planned factories are in place, SK Innovation’s battery production capacity will increase to 20 gigawatt-hours per year by 2022, the company said. Despite being a latecomer to the market, SK Innovation has been rapidly expanding its battery business. Daimler and Kia Motors are also using SK batteries.

    Its share of this year’s global battery market, excluding China, was 2.2 percent based on accumulated battery sales through the end of September, according to data from market tracker SNE Research, growing from 1.4 percent the same period last year.

    LG Chem is still the largest local player, with a 17.5 percent market share, followed by Samsung SDI, with an 8.2 percent market share.

    “With SK Innovation, LG Chem, Samsung and CATL, we have found strong partners for the long-term supply of cells for our electric vehicles,” said Stefan Sommer, a Volkswagen board member responsible for components and procurement.

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  • Hyundai investing in U.S. drone company

    Hyundai investing in U.S. drone company

    Hyundai Motor, Korea’s largest carmaker by sales, said Thursday it has invested in a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) company to jointly develop new products. In the investment, Hyundai Motor and Top Flight Technologies will jointly seek business opportunities in the global high-end aerial drone market, the company said in a statement.

    “In addition to solving the challenges of longer-duration flight for quadcopters, Top Flight is developing the technologies needed to enable new solutions in aerial logistics and mapping which could be useful in Hyundai’s future business,” John Suh, vice president of Hyundai CRADLE in Silicon Valley, said in the statement.

    Hyundai CRADLE is Hyundai Motor’s corporate venture and open innovation business in the United States.

    “Hyundai’s investment in Top Flight confirms its commitment to autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions, whether on the road or in the air. We fully believe that Hyundai’s world-class assembly and automation capabilities will help spur the production and deployment of aerospace-grade UAVs, more efficiently than ever,” Top Flight Chief Executive Long Phan said in the statement.

    The U.S. start-up is unrivaled in the fields of cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with small-sized gasoline engines that can extend flight range by charging a battery, it said. Hyundai didn’t provide how much it has invested in the U.S. start-up.

    The global UAV market is expected to grow from $5.6 billion in 2016 to $12.2 billion in 2019 and to $22.1 billion in 2026, the statement said. As UAVs are mainly used for military purposes, there is big growth potential for the commercial drone market. At present, the drone delivery services market is in the early stages of development. The concept of drone delivery services began with Amazon in December 2013. The U.S. retailer said its drone service is designed to deliver packages to customers as quickly as possible using UAVs.

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  • Hyundai to offer connected cars in Europe

    Hyundai to offer connected cars in Europe

    Hyundai Motor is introducing its connected-car system in Europe in partnership with Vodafone next year. The carmaker and affiliate Kia Motors signed a memorandum of understanding with Vodafone at the company’s British headquarters on Monday to roll out the service, Hyundai Motor said.

    Its Blue Link connected-car platform will be available in cars launching in Europe in the latter half of next year. The system will utilize Vodafone’s network. Kia’s Uvo connected-car system will be available in new cars sold in Europe in the first half of 2019.

    The connected-car service will offer real-time traffic information as well as information about nearby parking lots. It will also enable the remote detection of the car’s location as well as anti-theft features.

    Voice-recognition will be available in partnership with Nuance, a U.S. company. In Korea, that service is available in partnership with Kakao.

    Vodafone is one of the leading telecom companies in Europe, with 120 million users on the continent. It is established in 51 countries globally.

    The Blue Link service offered in collaboration with Vodafone will be available in eight European countries, including Britain, Germany, France and Spain. Ultimately, it will be available in 32 European countries.

    Europe is the fifth region where Hyundai Motor has introduced its connected-car service. It is already available in Korea, the United States, Canada and China.

    In July, Hyundai Motor partnered with Chinese IT firm Baidu for the introduction of connected-car services. In the United States, it is working with AT&T, and in Canada it utilizes the Bell network.

    “The latest collaboration will enable European customers to use the high-tech service,” said Suh Jung-sik, senior vice president of Hyundai Motor’s ICT department in a written statement. “The connected-car service will launch from early next year and be expanded in the future.”

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  • Korea’s car companies discuss challenges

    Korea’s car companies discuss challenges

    Representatives of Korea’s major automakers and parts makers and industry officials gathered in Seoul Wednesday to discuss ways to breathe new life into the sluggish sector. The chief executives of the big five automakers — Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung and Ssangyong Motor — and their local parts makers and industry associations explored ways to tackle daunting challenges facing the industry.

    Korea’s auto industry is going through a hard time after GM Korea shut down its underutilized Gunsan plant in May, and Hyundai and Kia have been posting generally disappointing earnings this year.

    Small and medium-sized companies that make parts for the carmaker were more vulnerable to falling sales, with more than one-third of such Korean auto parts makers posting losses in the first half of this year, data by the think tank Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade showed.

    They are also in the crosshairs as the United States is weighing slapping tariffs on foreign-made autos and auto parts on national security grounds.

    The participants called for the government to boost domestic demand, provide financial assistance to cash-strapped parts makers and lower regulations in emerging sectors, such as autonomous and electric vehicles.

    The automakers said they will seek ways to maintain over 4 million units in domestic car production and raise the number to 4.5 million by 2025.

    Hyundai Motor, the nation’s leading automaker, said it will invest 220 billion won ($193.8 million) over the next two years to develop an advanced lineup of its hydrogen-fuel electric car Nexo, with a goal of releasing over 30,000 units in the domestic market in 2022.

    GM Korea said it will hold trade shows to help its local contractors tap into the global market and supply 70 billion won in subsidies for small- and medium-sized contractors.

    Renault Samsung said it will operate a research and development fund worth 35 billion won by 2020 and form an alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi to help its contractors make bids overseas.

    Ssangyong Motor promised to expand use of Korean-made parts and support its contractors in India.

    The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it will join industry efforts to overcome challenges and drive innovation in the sector.

    “If the auto industry and the government work together, we can come up with measures to deal with the hardship,” Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo said during a meeting with them.

    “We will gather opinions to prepare support measures, especially for parts manufacturers.”

    The ministry said it will unveil a comprehensive support package for the auto industry next month, which includes financial and R&D support as well as deregulatory measures.

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  • Italian Motorcycle Makers Tease Indonesian Enthusiasts With New Models

    Italian Motorcycle Makers Tease Indonesian Enthusiasts With New Models

    Italian motorcycle manufacturers are hoping the release of new or updated models would be enough to reinvigorate interest among Indonesian enthusiasts and boost sales, which have been subdued in the past few years amid a weakening currency and slowing economic growth in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

    From household names such as Ducati, Piaggio and Vespa, to niche brands like Motto Guzzi and Italjet, displayed their latest models at the International Motorcycle and Accessories Exhibition in Milan last week. Thousands of visitors from across the globe, including a dozen importers from Indonesia, attended the world’s most famous exhibition dedicated to two-wheelers.

    Ducati featured the Panigale V4R, its latest road-legal competition bike, along with its new Hypermotard 950 and Diavel 1260. The company also introduced updated versions of its Scrambler and Multistrada ranges.

    Moto Guzzi showed off its new adventure bike, the V85 TT, while Vespa introduced updates to its GTS and Primavera ranges, while also launching a new electric scooter, the Elettrica.

    The new models have invoked confidence among importers looking at expanding the luxury motorcycle market in Indonesia after years of slowing demand.

    “We are ready to bring the new Ducati motorcycles to Indonesia, including the three new ones,” said Faby Tsui, marketing director of Garansindo Euro Sports, the sole authorized distributor of Ducati in Indonesia.

    Next year, the company plans to add three Ducati stores from just one currently in Jakarta. “We are looking at opening another shop in Jakarta, one in Surabaya and one in Bali,” Faby said.

    Italjet Moto, a small motorcycle manufacturer based in Castel San Pietro Terme in Bologna, aired a similar sentiment. The company has just revived its iconic Dragster scooter with a new sporty design unique to its class.

    “We would like to enter the Indonesian market. It’s an exciting market, which I believe has many scooter enthusiasts. Indonesia will be the first country outside Europe for us to market the Dragster,” Italjet Moto managing director Massimo Tartarini said.

    The company has also laid out a long-term plan for Indonesia, viewing it as a production base in the Asia-Pacific region.

    “We will start production in April or May next year. For the first year, we want to produce it in Italy. For the second year, we want to start manufacturing it in Indonesia for the Asia-Pacific market,” Tartarini said.

    However, some importers were less optimistic, pointing out that demand for luxury motorcycles has yet to return to what it used to be several years ago, when the Indonesian economy still enjoyed a windfall from a commodity boom and a strong currency.

    Indonesia’s imports of motorcycles, spare parts and accessories from Italy only amounted to $1.3 million last year, half what it was in 2012, according to data compiled by UN Comtrade, the commodity trade section of the United Nations’ statistics division.

    The Indonesian economy has yet to return to the growth levels of above 6 percent it used to see between 2010 and 2012. The rupiah now trades at 16,700 to the euro, having depreciated more than 36 percent from the 2012 level, according to Bank Indonesia.

    Meanwhile, Indonesia’s efforts to root out corruption have effectively curbed the practice among officials of collecting luxury motorcycles over the past few years.

    “I used to see government officials in store bringing all cash in backpacks to buy luxury motorcycles. Today it’s not the case anymore,” one motorbike importer said.

    Other importers pointed to the government’s recent decision to raise import taxes on luxury motorcycles and accessories as part of the country’s broader efforts to curb a widening current-account deficit.

    Many view the move was ineffective to achieve the goal, considering the relatively small size of the luxury motorcycle market in Indonesia. Italian motorcycles and accessories, for example, only accounted for a tiny part of Indonesia’s $535 million imports of bikes and accessories last year, mainly from China, Thailand and Vietnam.

    “We hope the tax will only be temporary and that conditions would return to normal soon,” Faby said.

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  • Hyundai to unveil new large SUV Palisade

    Hyundai to unveil new large SUV Palisade

    Hyundai Motor’s new large SUV, set to be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month, will be called the Palisade. According to the carmaker Friday, its new model for the 2020 model year will be revealed on Nov. 28 during a press event at the L.A. motor show.

    The company will start taking preorders for the SUV in the Korean market starting at the end of this month, earlier than other countries. Hyundai Motor America said Thursday the car will be available in the U.S. market in the summer of 2019. Hyundai said the SUV was named after Pacific Palisades in southern California, an affluent neighborhood that boasts a series of coastal cliffs. The carmaker is hoping that the Palisade will live up to its premium-sounding name.

    The three-row SUV will offer seven or eight passenger seats, according to a spokesperson from Hyundai Motor. The major focus in designing the car is enabling everybody inside the car, even those in the third row, can enjoy their own space. In some vehicles with third rows, space is tight.

    The carmaker said its new Palisade will offer the most seating space among competing vehicles in the same segment. It also promised diverse seat adjustment options and an easy-to-use interface for adjusting car settings for passenger convenience.

    “For large SUVs, carmakers need to offer more value than just the basic driving performance,” a Hyundai spokesman said. “The spacious interior and intuitive interface for safety and convenience services offered in the car are its competitive edge.”

    The carmaker is expecting a lot from this vehicle, as it in hopes to make the Palisade its flagship SUV model when families are increasingly lean towards bigger SUVs over sedans. The Palisade will replace the Max Cruze (Santa Fe XL overseas) as Hyundai’s largest SUV.

    Specifications and pricing for the Palisade were not released on Friday.

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  • Incheon Airport tests an unmanned shuttle service

    Incheon Airport tests an unmanned shuttle service

    Incheon International Airport said Sunday that it has successfully tested a self-driving shuttle bus becoming the first Korean airport to do so. The test took place inside its long-term parking lot on Friday, where a driverless bus ran 2.2 kilometers at a speed of 30 kph.

    “The test route has lots of curved lanes and is frequently interrupted by other cars … We have seen that autonomous driving is possible,” the airport said.

    The shuttle bus used in the test has been developed by Korean companies, including KT and Unmanned Solution. It is the country’s first driverless vehicle to obtain a temporary driving license. Last month, the airport signed a memorandum of understanding with KT to cooperate in autonomous driving. It plans to introduce a detailed plan for various self-driving car services.

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  • Automaker Mitsubishi eyes full-scale production in Vietnam

    Automaker Mitsubishi eyes full-scale production in Vietnam

    Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors plans to expand its Vietnam operations by moving to full-scale production of parts within the country. The company’s CEO Osamu Masuko said at the global launching ceremony of the Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck in Bangkok that sourcing materials in Vietnam would let the company handle more upstream processes for components.

    “To be a true winner, we must develop production and exports to certain levels in each country,” Masuko said.

    He added that the Vietnamese operations will not simply be limited to assembling modules in a “knock-down kit” production method, referring to the method of manufacturing parts in one country and shipping them to another.

    The ASEAN region is the largest and most profitable market for Mitsubishi Motors, the company said in its annual report for fiscal 2017. Sales in the region went up by 33 percent last year to 275,000 units, while revenue from the region jumped 45 percent for the year to 506.2 billion yen ($4.45 billion).

    In Vietnam, Mitsubishi currently has an assembly plant in the southern province of Binh Duong with a capacity of 5,000 vehicles per year.

    It plans to increase production by having a second plant in the country by 2020, with a capacity of 30,000-50,000 vehicles per year.

    In the first nine months this year, a total of 230,958 automobiles were sold in Vietnam, according to Vietnam Customs. This figure could reach 300,000 by the end of this year, it added.

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  • Self-driving car tested out in Korea

    Self-driving car tested out in Korea

    A user tries out self-driving technology from local car-sharing app Socar in Siheung, Gyeonggi on Wednesday. The technology enables users to hail self-driving cars, and is currently being tested, according to Socar. The technology was jointly developed by Seoul National University, Yonsei University, SK Telecom and autonomous car technology developer SWM.AI.

  • Hyundai opens center for innovation in Israel

    Hyundai opens center for innovation in Israel

    Hyundai Motor opened an innovation center in Tel Aviv and invested in an Israeli artificial intelligence start-up through the center, the automaker said Tuesday. Hyundai Cradle Tel Aviv is the third such initiative established by the Korean carmaker’s investment arm, the others in Korea and Silicon Valley. The Israel-based center, which officially started operations at the end of last month, is dedicated to finding start-ups with expertise in artificial intelligence and computer vision.

    The Tel Aviv center said Tuesday it invested in allegro.ai, a start-up specializing in deep learning-based computer vision. The automaker said the partnership will improve the quality of Hyundai’s products and speed up its deployment of AI technology.

    “Deep learning-based computer vision is one of the core technologies that can be applied to autonomous driving, to navigate roads and make quick decisions in real time,” said Ruby Chen, head of investment at Hyundai Cradle Tel Aviv. “allegro.ai is clearly an innovation leader in that field.”

    The technologies produced by the Israeli start-up make it easy for companies developing autonomous vehicles and drones to manage and control their data sets safely, said Nir Bar-lev CEO and co-founder of allegro.ai in a statement Tuesday.

    Korea’s largest automaker is planning to establish two more centers, in Berlin and Beijing.

    Selecting China as one of its global bases is a strategic move, as the automaker is seeking ways to expand in the world’s most populous consumer market. Hyundai is considering launching its N brand cars in China.

    On Tuesday, Thomas Schemera, head of the product planning and strategy division at Hyundai Motor, said the company is mulling which of its high-performance branded cars to introduce to the Chinese market during the first China International Import Expo, being held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center in Shanghai.

    Hyundai introduced its fuel-cell vehicle NEXO at the expo with an aim to bolster its presence in the growing eco-friendly car market in China.

    The expo is being held for the first time by the Chinese government to help foreign companies introduce their products and find opportunities for business cooperation.

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  • Auto imports experience year-end season surge

    Auto imports experience year-end season surge

    Up to 13,000 vehicles were imported last month, almost three times the number in October 2017. October also saw the highest number of completely built units (CBUs) imported so far this year, according to Vietnam Customs. However, the total volume of imported cars in the first 10 months of this year decreased over the same period last year, because of a decree that took effect this year, setting tough conditions for car imports.

    As of the end of October, the total number of imported CBUs is estimated at over 53,000 units, down 31 percent from the 77,000 units recorded in the same period last year.

    The number of imported vehicles only started rising since August this year, after a slump that lasted more than six months.

    Vietnam imported 12,380 CBUs worth $329 million in the first half of this year, down 75.5 percent in volume and 68.3 percent in value over the same period last year, according to Vietnam Customs.

    Until now, Thailand and Indonesia have accounted for the main volume of imported CBUs. Most cars sold in Vietnam are foreign brands assembled in the country from kits.

    But a series of free trade agreements have reduced import duties and are opening up the market. A 30 percent import tax on cars from other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries was scrapped this year.

    Besides Thailand and Indonesia, Vietnam has imported cars from China, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Spain, and few other countries this year.

  • All Kia motoring needs in one handy app

    All Kia motoring needs in one handy app

    Kia Motors on Monday launched an all-in-one mobile app that integrates all of its scattered online customer service channels. The new app, dubbed VIK, offers 60 different services including information on car purchases, maintenance and customer membership points and a basic guide to its driver assistive technologies.

    “It’s like having a virtual assistant specializing in car management,” a spokesperson from Kia said.

    The most notable service of the app is the augmented reality (AR) tutorials. If a user scans their steering wheel and dashboard with the in-app camera, the screen shows red dots marked with the specific features that the shown parts control.

    When users click each red dot on their screen, the phone plays a video tutorial of how that particular feature works.

    The AR-based service is made for Kia’s Stinger sedans now, but will be expanded to other models next year, the carmaker said. The app also understands voice commands.

    If a driver thinks something is wrong, they can ask the app where the closest maintenance center is without taking their hands off the steering wheel, Kia said.

    The carmaker said in-app mobile payments will be available soon so that people can pay for maintenance or car accessories without opening up another application. A service dubbed Kia Pay will be added by the end of this year.

    The carmaker is trying to promote the app by adding a social platform for Kia car drivers.

    It created a tab where users can post their trips and experiences with Kia cars. The company said it will award good stories to boost user interest in the newly launched app. To better market the app, Kia inked a partnership with Samsung Electronics on Monday to develop phones customized for Kia customers.

    The two are planning on launching Galaxy smartphones that come with Kia’s service apps, including VIK, preinstalled.

    Kwon Hyug-ho, executive vice president and head of domestic sales at Kia Motors, said the company will continue to expand its partnership with Samsung to make phones specialized for better car management in a press briefing held Monday in Seoul.

  • JD and Toyota partner to expand auto services business

    JD and Toyota partner to expand auto services business

    FAW Toyota, a joint venture between Toyota Motor Company and First Automobile Works, has launched a flagship store on JD.com, China’s largest retailer, allowing customers in China to purchase and schedule maintenance services online and then bring their vehicles to FAW Toyota’s offline service centers at their convenience.

    In addition to auto services, customers can easily purchase a variety of automobile parts and related products.

    After making their online purchases, customers will receive a verification code on their phones, which they can use at FAW Toyota’s offline ‘4S’ stores to redeem their parts, supplies, installation or repair services.

    Auto parts and supplies can also be delivered directly to customers’ homes.

    The partnership was concluded to improve customers’ level of convenience while FAW Toyota will gain insights from the various data it will collect from the platform such as age, gender, and purchasing behavior of shoppers.

    As one of the latest applications of its “Boundaryless Retail” strategy, last month JD launched a new offline automotive initiative called JD Auto Service, known in Chinese as Jingdong Jingche Hui.

    The initiative already includes nearly 200 third-party offline car repair stores.

    Through JD Auto Service, customers can buy auto parts or maintenance services on JD.com, and then go to a JD Auto Service location for installation.

    To ensure high-quality service, each of the offline stores is screened to meet JD’s strict standards before joining the network.

    JD has been leveraging its advanced e-commerce capabilities and offline resources to expand into China’s booming automotive aftermarket business.

    The company’s omnichannel model now covers the entire purchasing process for car parts and services.

    JD currently has partnerships with over 30,000 authorized offline auto stores for complementary service.

    Chinese car owners have so far responded enthusiastically to JD’s omnichannel network.

  • Hyundai Motor sells more than 200,000 Genesis units

    Hyundai Motor sells more than 200,000 Genesis units

    Sales of Hyundai Motor’s premium Genesis marquee surpassed 200,000 units three years after its official launch, industry data showed Sunday. According to the data, total sales of Genesis vehicles reached 206,882 as of the end of October, touching the 200,000 mark for the first time since November 2015, when Hyundai Motor launched the sub-luxury brand.

    With global sales of 555 units of Genesis cars in the first year, 58,916 units were sold in the following year and 78,889 units in 2017.

    For the first 10 months of 2018, Hyundai saw sales of the brand rise 6.1 percent on year to 68,522 units.

    The executive G80 model was the most popular in the Genesis lineup, with a cumulative 127,283 units sold worldwide, followed by the flagship G90 with 52,417 units sold and the G70 sports sedan with 27,182 units.

    Hyundai Motor said it will strengthen the Genesis lineup by upgrading popular models.

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  • Nissan’s latest Leaf EV available for preorder

    Nissan’s latest Leaf EV available for preorder

    Nissan Korea Thursday introduced an updated version of its Leaf electric vehicle (EV) at the Daegu International Future Auto Expo, hoping to grow its share of the domestic EV market. The vehicle was released in Japan in September.

    Nissan’s local unit started accepting preorders on Thursday, and the model is expected to be on the roads of Korea in the first quarter of next year.

    The Leaf is not widely known here as Japan’s Nissan is not strong in the domestic market. The car, however, was the world’s first mass produced electric vehicle when introduced 2010. A total of 370,000 units had been sold globally as of October.

    In the latest generation, Leaf comes with advanced performance and smart car technologies, the carmaker said.

    This includes the “e-Pedal,” which enables the driver to accelerate and decelerate with the use of a single pedal. The pedal is linked to a regenerative brake, which produces electricity as it slows the car. The feature is often found in new offerings in the EV market.

    Nissan Korea also says the latest Leaf allows for 360-degree surround view and is capable of maintaining distance with vehicles ahead.

    Performance has been enhanced with a 38 percent increase in horsepower compared to the previous model – now 150 horsepower. Torque is upped by 26 percent.

    Despite multiple improvements, the driving range, important to the success of an electric vehicle, is likely to disappoint Korean consumers.

    The Leaf can travel up to 231 kilometers (143 miles) on a single charge.

    The Kona SUV, from Hyundai Motor, can travel 400 kilometers per charge. GM Korea’s Bolt EV has a 380-kilometer range. The Niro SUV, from Kia Motors, is able to go 380 kilometers on a single charge.

    The exact price hasn’t been announced, but the company said at the event the price will be set under 50 million won.

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