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Tag: Hyundai

  • New 2018 Hyundai Santro Launched In India

    New 2018 Hyundai Santro Launched In India

    Hyundai India has launched the all-new 2018 Hyundai Santro in India at a starting price of Rs 3.89 lakh. The new Santro will be available in five variants for the petrol manual version while the petrol automatic and the CNG manual versions gets two variants each. The new Hyundai Santro Prices for the petrol manual range from Rs 3.89-5.45 lakh while the ones for the petrol automatic AMT range from Rs 5.18-5.46 lakh. The new 2018 Hyundai Santro CNG is priced at Rs 5.23-5.64 lakh. The new Hyundai Santro will take on the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Celerio, the Tata Tiago and the Renault Kwid 1-litre apart from the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, a new version of which will be launched very soon. The new Hyundai Santro will be slotted in between the Hyundai Eon and the Hyundai Grand i10. Here is a detailed table with all the prices below.

    The Hyundai Santro will be powered by a 1.1-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine, which makes 69 bhp of peak power and 99 Nm of peak torque when powered by petrol. The petrol engine is mated to a 5-speed manual or a new 5-speed AMT gearbox that has been developed by Hyundai in-house. The petrol engine, in both manual and AMT guise are fuel efficient and the Hyundai Santro Mileage is 20.3 kmpl.

    Hyundai Santro Price In India
    Variant Price (ex-showroom, Delhi)
    Santro D-Lite ₹ 3,89,900
    Santro Era ₹ 4,24,900
    Santro Magna ₹ 4,57,900
    Santro Magna AMT ₹ 5,18,900
    Santro Magna CNG ₹ 5,23,900
    Santro Sportz ₹ 4,99,900
    Santro Sportz AMT ₹ 5,46,900
    Santro Sportz CNG ₹ 5,64,900
    Santro Asta ₹ 5,45,900

    There is also a new Hyundai Santro CNG version on offer straight from the factory that makes 59 bhp of peak power and 84 Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to a 8 kg CNG tank that is mounted in the boot of the Hyundai Santro. The new CNG version of the new Hyundai Santro will offer 30.48 km/kg of fuel economy on CNG fuel. The CNG version also gets duel ECUs to provide a seamless switch between petrol and CNG along with a matrix injector and a filter valve for better performance and more safety respectively.

    The Hyundai Santro gets five variants i.e. D-Lite, Era, Magna, Sportz and the top of the line Asta. The car is available in seven colour options ranging from a bright blue, red or green to the more sombre whites, greys and golds. The new Santro gets no alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights or projector headlamps abut it does get 14-inch wheels as standard along with a set of silver wheelcaps on the higher spec versions while the lower variants will get plain silver wheels with small wheel-hub covers.

    The overall design on the new Santro is quite contemporary. Athough Hyundai claims that the Santro is a tall-boy design, the design is actually a great blend of the conventional Santro tall-boy look and a very typical entry level hatchback. The new Santro also gets a flat back with two mid-set tail lamps. The tail lamps too are conventional and not LED versions. The Santro is also much larger than its predecessor measuring in at 3610 mm in length, 1645 mm in width and 1560 mm in height. The wheelbase on the new Santro is now at 2400 mm and it does offer best in class rear legspace.

    On the inside, the new Hyundai Santro offers a range of features like a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that offers mirrolink and Bluetooth connectivity. The infotainment system also offers the likes of Apple CarPlay aad Android Auto. The new Hyundai Santro also gets rear AC vents – another first in class feature, but does not get climate control. The new Hyundai Santro will also offer a single driver side airbag as standard on all models but will offer a secondary passenger side airbag only on the Asta model. While all variants of th Hyundai Santo will get a beige and grey interior, the Diana Green version in the Asta model will get an all-black interior along with colour matched interior trim and colour matched green seatbelts.

    Hyundai Santro Engine Specifications

    Hyundai Santro Petrol CNG
    Engine 1.1-litre petrol 1.1-litre petrol + CNG
    Max Power 68 bhp @ 5500 rpm 58 bhp @ 5500 rpm
    Max Torque 99 Nm @ 4500 rpm 84 Nm @ 4500 rpm
    Transmission 5-Speed MT/AMT 5-Speed MT
    Fuel Efficiency 20.3 kmpl 30.48 km/kg

    Speaking at the world premiere of the all new Hyundai Santro, Mr. Y K Koo, MD & CEO, Hyundai India said, “Today is a Historic moment as we announce the world premiere of the all new Santro. The Hyundai Santro is an iconic and legendary brand in India that has won the hearts of millions of customers for last two decades. The magic of Santro continues with The all new Santro receiving overwhelming response in less than two weeks.”

    The all-new 2018 Hyundai Santro has already received over 23,500 bookings in just 12 days even before individuals had the chance to see the new car in the metal. Although these bookings were exclusively available online, bookings at dealerships have also officially begun today. The introductory pricing will only be applicable for the first 50,000 customers. Considering the fact that Hyundai will only be making about 10,000 units of the new Santro every month, expect waiting periods of a few weeks to follow. Currently, over 30 per cent of all bookings for the new 2018 Hyundai Santro are for the AMT model.

  • What To Expect from the 2018 Hyundai Santro

    What To Expect from the 2018 Hyundai Santro

    Hyundai is all set to launch the new Santro in the country on October 23 and we’ve already told you a lot about the car. The Santro badge is making a comeback into the country and it’s opportune that the new hatchback comes at the same time as the 20th anniversary of the Santro badge in the country. The Hyundai Santro has enjoyed a lot of success in the country and the company would want to add to the popularity of the car with the launch of the all new model. The Santro continues to carry the tall boy stance that it always had and that brings in a lot of tech which adds to the appeal of the car.

    The company has already received an overwhelming response for the Santro as it has already received more than 14,000 bookings for the car till date. The new Santro will also only come with a set of steel 14-inch wheels with wheel covers and there are no alloy wheels on offer – even on the top of the line Asta variant. Although we can’t show you what the car looks like just yet, we have spent a fair amount of time in the car and we told you all about it in our first drive report

    The 2018 Hyundai Santro is likely to come in 4 variants – Era, Magna, Asta and Sportz. We expect the Sportz and the Asta model to get a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment setup that will support Bluetooth, mirror link and inbuilt navigation. More importantly though, the infotainment setup will also – for the first time in class – support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

    The Santro will replace the Eon in the company’s line-up in India and will be the company’s entry level hatchback in the country. This will see it take on cars like the Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Renault Kwid, Tata Tiago among others and this means that the pricing will be around the ₹ 4 lakh bracket. However, it is very likely that the company will undercut its rivals and the base variant will be closer to the ₹ 3.85 lakh mark. The introductory prices are applicable on the first 50,000 units and Hyundai has made sure that there’ll be no changes in the prices for the first 50,000 customers.

    The 2018 Hyundai Santro has grown in dimensions. It’s 45 mm longer now and has a wheelbase of 3610 mm. The company claims that it is a tall-boy design as the Santro has always been, but the overall angular proportions will deceive that at the first glance. On the outside, expect nothing more than what you get in an entry segment car. Essentially, fancy fitments like LED DRLs and alloy wheels won’t be offered on the Santro. It will have halogen headlamps as standard and the Santro will ride on 14-inch steel wheels.

    Hyundai is offering the Santro with a 1.1-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. The engine develops 68 bhp and 99 Nm of peak torque and will be mated to a five-speed gearbox as standard. Though, the Santro will be the first Hyundai to get the option of an AMT gearbox. There will be also a CNG option on offer where the engine will develop 59 bhp and deliver a fuel economy of 20.3 kmpl.

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  • New Hyundai Santro Bookings Cross 14,000 Units

    New Hyundai Santro Bookings Cross 14,000 Units

    The Hyundai Santro is back with a bang. And as if to proclaim that this nameplate still commands the kind of strength it used to, the small car has already garnered over 14,000 bookings. Sources have shared with carandbike that the small car has notched up 14,208 bookings within the first 9 days of pre-bookings having been opened for a token of ₹ 11,000, on October 10 2018. This is even though the variants and prices are not known, and customers have shown a preference for the top spec (Asta) manual variant followed by the top spec (Sportz) AMT version.

    These are pan-India bookings, but sources have shared with carandbike that a large chunk of the bookings are from the southern states, with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka and Kerala accounting for just under half the total bookings so far. The above figure does not include bookings taken on Dussehra (celebrated on October 18 in Western India, October 19 in North India), and so the overall number is expected to shoot up with Dussehra bookings and then more so over this weekend too. Bookings are only open online, and not at dealerships since there is no car in showrooms as yet that people can see. But a number of dealers have shared with carandbike that many potential customers have been visiting their showrooms, and then making the bookings online with their help.

    The Hyundai Santro has bagged over 14,000 bookings in just 9 days

    Hyundai had opened online pre-bookings for the Santro the day after it unveiled the car to media at its Chennai plant. At the time, the Hyundai India MD, YK Koo had also announced a price protection for the first 50,000 customers. and had pretty much guaranteed that the prices announced at launch will be hiked soon after. At that preview we had the chance to see and drive the car, and have told you plenty about it. What we have been unable to do is share our pictures and videos. And while that remains embargoed until launch day – i.e. October 23 2018 – a lot of leaked pictures have already emerged that show the car’s exterior and interior in fairly good detail.

    The 2018 Hyundai Santro will get a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system

    We know there will be a base version – most likely the Era variant, followed by the Magna variant, the fairly well-loaded Sportz trim and the top spec Asta. All variants will sport a driver-side airbag and ABS (anti-lock braking) as standard equipment. The Asta will have dual airbags standard. The Sportz will also get the 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink and Voice Commands. The car’s cabin will be finished in a dual-tone palette of beige and black. On the outside, buyers will have 7 colours to choose from, though only the green will get a special interior package in its Asta trim.

    Under the hood, the new Hyundai Santro features a 1.1-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that comes from the company’s Epsilon engine family. The motor is capable of churning out a maximum of 68 bhp and develop a peak torque of 99 Nm, and Hyundai says that it’s already BS-VI ready. Additionally, the 2018 Santro will also come with a factory fitted CNG kit, which can hold up to 8 kg of gas, and offer a reduced power output of 58 bhp, while developing the same 99 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are taken care of by a 5-speed manual gearbox in both the versions, however, the petrol trim also gets an optional 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) unit. The AMT unit is developed by Hyundai in-house and uses an electric actuator instead of a hydraulic, which is controlled by a separate electric unit. The petrol engine offers a mileage of 20.3 kmpl, while the fuel efficiency of the CNG version is yet to be revealed.

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  • Hyundai Motor considers eco-friendly engine for its N brand

    Hyundai Motor considers eco-friendly engine for its N brand

    Hyundai Motor is planning to build a driving center in Korea as early as next year in its ambition to have its high-performance division compete with BMW’s M and Mercedes-Benz’s AMG models.

    “I am considering building a driving academy where customers are invited to experience high-performance cars,” Thomas Schemera, head of Hyundai Motor’s high-performance division said at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday. “I believe interacting with customers and listening to their feedback are important.”

    Schemera also added that the first center is most likely to be built in Korea before the automaker expands to other parts of the world like the United States or Europe.

    Schemera, formerly in charge of BMW’s M series, was appointed executive vice president of Hyundai Motor to head its high-performance vehicle and motorsport division in March.

    Hyundai Motor’s N series is a latecomer in the industry, as its initiative of launching a high-performance lineup only became official in 2015. BMW’s M series, one of Hyundai’s strongest competitors in high-performance motoring, began in the 1970s.

    Yet, Hyundai’s N series sales figures are quite impressive so far. Since its launch in Europe in the second half of 2017, the first model – the i30 N – sold 3,771 units this year through August. This is already 35 percent above the initial sales target for this year, which was 2,957 units.

    The second in the series – the Veloster N – is doing well, too. Since its launch in July in Korea, it sold 525 units in its first two months. Globally, it sold 4,122 units this year as of August, again surpassing its initial goal of 3,300 units.

    The Veloster N team is planning for a U.S. launch before the end of this year. The third in the series – the i30 Fastback N – premiered at the Paris Motor Show, now underway.

    Hyundai Motor’s ambitions in high-performance cars is helping elevate Hyundai’s brand image in general, according to Schemera.

    “The i30 sales had been on a downturn, but they started to rebound after the launch of the i30 N,” he said. “Not only other N models but also other Hyundai cars in Europe will likely see improved sales.”

    Ahead for the N series, Schemera hinted there would be an eco-friendly engine for its lineup, perhaps an HEV, PHEV or even a hydrogen engine.

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  • Hyundai Motor hydrogen trucks are going to Europe

    Hyundai Motor hydrogen trucks are going to Europe

    Hyundai Motor’s hydrogen-powered truck will take to the streets of Europe, where the hydrogen infrastructure is better than in Korea and subsidies for hydrogen cars more generous.

    The nation’s No.1 carmaker announced Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Swiss hydrogen energy company H2 Energy to supply 1,000 large hydrogen trucks from 2019 to 2023.

    They will include both refrigerated and unrefrigerated cargo trucks. H2 Energy will lease the trucks to local gas station companies and grocery franchises.

    Under the partnership, Hyundai Motor and H2 Energy will try to expand the use of hydrogen-powered trucks not only in Switzerland but all over Europe.

    “The MOU with H2 Energy allowed Hyundai Motor’s hydrogen trucks to advance into the European eco-friendly commercial vehicle market,” said Lee In-cheol, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor’s commercial car team.

    The hydrogen-powered trucks being sent to Europe from next year are based on Hyundai Motor’s flagship large-sized Xcient truck. The development is near completion, Hyundai Motor says, to meet local transportation regulations.

    The trucks will have 190 kW fuel-cell batteries.

    They are expected to have a range of 400 kilometers (259 miles) per charge, which will take about 7 minutes.

    In terms of safety features, they will have forward collision avoidance and lane departure warning systems.

    Hyundai Motor explained that it is initiating its hydrogen truck business in Europe rather than Korea due to better infrastructure and state support as well as rising demand.

    State support comes in various ways in European countries. Germany, for example, offers subsidies, while the Netherlands and Norway give tax incentives to people who purchase eco-friendly vehicles.

    Switzerland, the first market for Hyundai Motor’s hydrogen-powered Xcients, has eliminated tolls on 3.5-ton or heavier trucks that run on eco-friendly engines. Trucks powered by diesel engines, in contrast, have to pay heavy tolls.

    The carmaker plans to launch a midsized truck fueled by hydrogen in the near future that could be used for road cleaning or collecting garbage.

  • India is Hyundai’s land of opportunity

    India is Hyundai’s land of opportunity

    Hyundai Motor is still working hard to woo Indian consumers as the world’s second-most populous country emerges as one of the fastest growing markets in the global auto industry.

    Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun made a speech at the first Move Global Mobility Summit on Thursday, presenting the automaker’s plan to pursue future mobility and its dedication to the Indian market.

    The summit is a two-day state-run event taking place in New Delhi under the theme “Shared, Connected and Zero Emissions Mobility.” More than 1,200 attendees, including the CEOs of auto giants and start-ups, will participate in discussions centering on future mobility.

    “Hyundai Motor will actively pursue to become a smart mobility solution provider from a manufacturer,” Chung said in his speech.

    “I am certain that innovation in mobility will improve not only people’s lives but also improve environment and energy issues at the same time. It will also act as a means to connect the urban with the suburban and a person with another person,” he added.

    Chung also unveiled plans to launch a total of four eco-friendly vehicles in India in the near future, three of which will be electric models and the fourth a hydrogen-powered Nexo.

    Hyundai Motor, the world’s fifth-largest automaker, has seen huge potential in India’s auto market for some time.

    India is currently the world’s fourth-largest auto market, posting a year-on-year sales growth rate of 9.5 percent according to 2017 market data.

    Hyundai Motor established its Indian office in 1996 and has been using the regional office as an export hub, sending cars made there to more than 90 countries.

    Hyundai Motor is currently the No. 2 player in India. It sold some 320,000 units this year as of July, posting a year-on-year growth rate of 7.5 percent. The i20 hatchback and small SUV Creta are the most popular models.

    Most recently, the automaker has made a hefty investment in local car-sharing start-up Revv.

    Hyundai’s smaller affiliate Kia Motors belatedly entered the Indian market in 2017 by starting the construction of a local factory with a $1.3 billion investment. It will start sales of its models from next year.

    At the forum, Hyundai Motor summed up its strategies in pursuing future mobility with three keywords – clean mobility, freedom in mobility and connected mobility.

    “India has been taking significant steps toward the future it has long dreamt of,” Chung said. “[The country] will play a leading role not only in the manufacturing industry but also in ICT in the face of the fourth industrial revolution as well,” he added.

    According to Hyundai Motor, Chung attended a tea meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 50 other global companies CEOs after making the speech on Thursday.

    The CEOs of Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata, Toyota, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Uber and SoftBank all attended the summit.

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  • Hyundai teamed up with Amazon to plan new retail model

    Hyundai teamed up with Amazon to plan new retail model

    Hyundai and Amazon plan to develop a “next-generation” retail model amid South Korean retailers’ push to adopt the latest technology to their online and offline platforms.

    Under the strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Service (AWS) Korea signed on Friday, Hyundai Department Store Group said it will also establish a system to analyse customer activity and expand the partnership between its information technology arm and AWS, the US retail giant’s cloud-computing platform.

    Their joint research will focus on developing the Korean version of Amazon Go – the US e-commerce firm’s checkout-free offline mall – as well as using drones to deliver food and beverages, and applying artificial intelligence technology for automated concierge service, according to Hyundai.

    The Korean retailer’s aim is to implement Amazon’s cutting-edge technologies to its department store set to open in Yeouido, Seoul’s financial district, in 2020.

    “We will partner with Amazon to find a medium- and long-term roadmap to provide a new shopping experience to our customers,” a company official said.

    The deal was made as South Korean retailers are moving to secure competitiveness through the use of new technologies.

    Last Friday, E-Mart Everyday, another major South Korean retailer and Shinsegae’s supermarket-chain operator, opened a “cashier-less” store in Seoul where customers can pay via the firm’s mobile payment service app without going through a checkout counter.

    The 212sqm Gangnam store is expected to increase the company’s competitiveness in the market, allowing customers to use Shinsegae’s SSG Pay mobile payment system to make their purchases. It is the latest in a series of technological advances made by the company, including electronic price labeling and the use of robotic concierges and autonomous shopping carts.

    The new store will include a self-checkout counter as an alternative to using the app, and a cashier for age-verification sales of alcohol and tobacco products.

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  • Evolution in Korean retailers commerce

    Evolution in Korean retailers commerce

    South Korean retailers are increasingly crossing boundaries between their commerce platforms from television to offline and online to attract more customers, market watchers said.

    Shinsegae TV Shopping Inc., the home shopping arm of retail giant Shinsegae, is set to open an offline shop for luxury goods sold through its program S-Style at the retailer’s mall in Paju, north of Seoul, on August 18.

    The 159-square-meter store will mark the first case for a television-based commerce firm to open an offline mall, according to Shinsegae.

    “We will provide a unique experience to our customers, freely crossing over the line between online and offline,” a company official said, adding the launch is aimed at communicating more closely with its customers.

    Shinsegae is not the only retailer moving to break boundaries between its platforms.

    Earlier onAugust 13, another major retailer, the Hyundai Home Shopping Network Co., opened an online mall named Hootd, gathering products from eight influencer brands. Their combined number of followers on social media amounts to 1.4 million, according to the company.

    Launching the new service, Hyundai said it will actively collaborate with Hyundai Department Store to regularly open pop-up stores and use its TV channel to further raise the influencer brands’ profile.

    Industry watchers say local retailers have been gradually expanding the collaboration of online and offline platforms to create synergy and make up for their respective shortcomings.

    “Despite efforts to overcome the limit of fully delivering product information, online platforms fall short of providing the same experience as offline malls,” said Kim Na-kyung a researcher at the LG Economic Research Institute.

    “Especially to meet the needs of consumers who wish to check products’ traits that cannot be explained in numbers, such as texture and color, offline channels can be an effective complement.”

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  • Hyundai creates separate sound zones in cars

    Hyundai creates separate sound zones in cars

    Hyundai Motor has developed a sound system for vehicles in which passengers and the driver can hear different songs or make totally private phone calls.

    It is the first such system in the world, the carmaker announced Sunday, and will be offered in Hyundai Motor cars within a year or two.

    Korea’s largest carmaker calls the system a “separated sound zone” and unveiled it on its official website and on YouTube last Sunday.

    In the YouTube video, classical music plays in the front of the car where two parents are sitting, while pop music plays in the back for children.

    Separate sound zones are created by the artful placement of different speakers. There is also software that control the sound’s reflective wave and output level, the carmaker explained.

    Playing different types of music is the most basic thing the sound zones can do, according to the carmaker.

    A driver or passenger could have a private phone call as well. Calls on speaker are usually heard by all people in the car.

    With the system, passengers can enjoy individual choices of music while retaining the ability to converse among themselves, which isn’t possible if they are enjoying private music with earphones.

    Sounds that are necessary to the driver but that are disturbing to other passengers can be controlled too, such as audible directions from the navigation system or warning sounds from the driving assistance system.

    Music or direction guides that a driver is listening to won’t be heard by a sleeping child in the back seat.

    Hyundai Motor said it started developing the system in 2014 and is almost ready to install it in mass-produced cars.

    “This sound system will become necessary as the autonomous driving era nears and demands for entertainment inside a car evolve,” said Ih Kang-duck, a researcher in charge of developing the system.

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  • Hyundai Motor union approves pay deal early

    Hyundai Motor union approves pay deal early

    Hyundai Motor’s labor union voted in favor of a modest wage increase late on Thursday, settling pay negotiations before their summer vacation in August for the first time in eight years.

    The speedy deal stands in stark contrast to last year, when a series of strikes and negotiations dragged on into early 2018.

    The challenging business environment for Hyundai Motor, including threat of auto tariffs from the United States and slow global sales, is expected to have influenced the result.

    Of the 42,046 union members, 63 percent voted in favor of the new wage plan on Thursday. The plan includes a monthly base pay raise of 45,000 won ($40.26), an incentive payment worth 250 percent of their ordinary monthly wage and a bonus of 2.8 million won.

    Last year, the union had asked for 154,000 won more a month in base pay, but workers received a 58,000 won raise. It had asked for a 300 percent incentive rate as well.

    The union on Thursday also approved a renewed two-shift working system, where day and night workers will work exactly eight hours without additional time. Previously, night-shift workers had to work about 20 minutes more than those on the day shift.

    Starting Jan. 7, 2019, each assembly line will be adjusted to produce 0.5 more cars per hour in order to compensate for the reduced working hours.

    Hyundai Motor’s labor union, which is affiliated with the umbrella Korea Metal Workers’ Union, is seen as one of the country’s most hard-line unions. Their fierce conflict with company management has faced criticism for not taking into account Hyundai’s business situations.

    Fellow workers gave the Hyundai union a cold shoulder because of the steep discrepancy in wage rates. Unionized workers at the Hyundai Motor labor union receive an average of 90 million won. Average office workers at small and medium-size companies receive an average of 30 million won per year and conglomerate office workers receive around 60 million won. Last year, the union staged 24 strikes, which disrupted the production of 76,900 cars and caused losses worth 1.62 trillion won to Hyundai Motor. In 2016, their strikes caused the company to lose 3.1 trillion won.

    This year, the union staged only 2 strikes, which disrupted the production of 11,487 cars, causing losses of just 250.2 billion won. These are the smallest losses since 2011, when there were no strikes at all.

    “This will be a stepping stone [for the union] to break through its social isolation and perception that it is the ‘royal union,’” said Ha Bu-young, the leader of Hyundai Motor’s union, in a statement on Thursday.

  • Hyundai, Kia hope to hit targets with SUVs

    Hyundai, Kia hope to hit targets with SUVs

    Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors said on Friday that they would achieve their sales target for the year by launching new sport utility vehicles in two major auto markets, the United States and Europe, in the second half.

    In separate biannual meetings with overseas sales executives, Hyundai and Kia discussed measures to achieve their sales target of a combined 7.55 million vehicles, up 4.1 percent from the 7.25 million they sold last year, Hyundai Motor Group said in a statement.

    In terms of major challenges in the second half, the company named interest rate increases in the United States, rising oil prices and an unfriendly business environment due to U.S. tariffs on imported vehicles.

    To boost sales in the second half, Hyundai plans to launch a new Santa Fe and upgraded Tucson in the U.S. market in July and November. Kia will launch a Sorento facelift in June.

    The new Santa Fe is the most essential model in determining Hyundai’s annual earnings results this year. If it is well accepted in the United States, Hyundai will come up with strong financial figures at the end of the year, the company said.

    In Europe, Hyundai will gradually the Santa Fe, Tucson and Kona, and Kia will roll out the Sportage SUV. The company has recently set up a task force to attract female customers in Saudi Arabia after the country permitted women to drive cars.

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  • Chelsea jerseys will soon bear Hyundai logo

    Chelsea jerseys will soon bear Hyundai logo

    Hyundai Motor signed a four-year contract with storied English Premier League club Chelsea FC to become its global automotive partner.

    Korea’s biggest automaker announced that it will sponsor the football team until 2022.

    Hyundai Motor’s logo will appear on the sleeves of the team’s new uniform and on the signboards at Chelsea’s home and away games. The automaker will also display its cars at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium.

    This is the first time Hyundai Motor has sponsored a British football team.

    “For 20 years, Hyundai has been bringing the dynamism, passion and excitement of football to fans around the world,” said Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, vice president of marketing product at Hyundai Motor. “We are thrilled to begin a new partnership with Chelsea, a successful and ambitious club that matches the global scale and challenging spirit of Hyundai.”

    Chelsea’s new uniform that features Hyundai Motor’s logo will debut on July 23, when the team will play against Perth Glory in Australia ahead of the 2018-19 Premier League season.

    Chelsea was founded in 1905 and has won six EPL seasons. It has also won the FA Cup eight times.

    The automotive company has been a FIFA Top Partner since 1999, and has been sponsoring the French football team Olympique Lyonnaise since 2012.

    As official FIFA partners, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have recently stepped up their marketing effort for the upcoming Russia World Cup.

    On May 31, Hyundai Motor delivered 530 Santa Fe, Tucson and Starex SUVs to the World Cup venues. Kia Motors sent 420 of its K9, Sorento, Sportage and C’eed models.

    Hyundai’s standalone Genesis luxury brand has sponsored the Genesis Championship, a men’s golf tournament for Korean players, since last year.

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  • Hyundai Motor plans to join Gwangju-run factory

    Hyundai Motor plans to join Gwangju-run factory

    Hyundai Motor on Friday announced plans to join Gwangju’s city-owned automobile factory project, and the automaker’s labor union is putting up a fight over the plan’s potential effect on employees’ wages.

    Korea’s largest automaker said that it submitted a letter of intent to invest in the construction of the factory, along with other companies, in response to Gwangju’s request.

    “In regard to Gwangju’s business, which will be built inside the Bitgreen National Industrial Complex and aims to foster the local economy and jobs, [Hyundai Motor] proposed a consultation to review the business’ validity and investment possibility,” Hyundai Motor wrote in its letter of intent.

    The carmaker will not participate in the joint venture’s management and will only invest in a certain amount of the project. The workers will be employed by the city of Gwangju.

    The amount of production from the Gwangju plant will depend on the market demand for the car that Hyundai plans to produce there, according to the automaker.

    Gwangju’s auto factory project is slated to be completed by 2020. It is part of the city’s initiative to expand employment, though the salaries at the plant will be half of the Korean auto industry’s average. The plant will be the first automobile factory built in Korea since Renault Samsung Motors’ Busan factory in 1998.

    Hyundai Motor’s participation is likely to send a jolt to the labor market, as employees at the plant will receive an average of 40 million won ($37,233) in annual pay. This is less than half of the wages of unionized Hyundai Motor employees, which are estimated to be around 90 million won a year.

    Hyundai Motor’s labor union on Friday requested the carmaker withdraw the proposal, claiming that its participation in the project would cause a drop in the average wages of Hyundai Motor workers.

    It warned Hyundai Motor that it would stage a protest if the company doesn’t withdraw the letter of intent.

    “The Gwangju employment [project] will standardize full-time workers’ annual salary at around 40 million won,” the labor union said in a statement Friday. “The employees are neither contract workers nor full-time workers, but somewhere in the middle.”

    Although the city government would be employing the workers at the new factory, if Hyundai Motor becomes the biggest shareholder in the joint venture, the lower wages at the Gwangju factory could have an effect on the automaker’s unionized employees.

    Hyundai Motor’s unionized employees’ high wages have been a big headache for the carmaker, which is why the company hasn’t invested much in domestic plants recently and has been steering its capital toward its overseas manufacturing facilities.

    According to industry data, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors’ Korean production fell to 44 percent of total production in 2017, compared to 73.3 percent in 2006.

    Gwangju’s new auto plant is likely to receive about 500 billion won in investment and will be able to produce about 100,000 cars a year. It will provide jobs to around 12,000 people through direct or indirect employment. Hyundai Motor’s stake in the new factory will likely stay below 20 percent.

    “The plant will not be operated by Hyundai Motor,” an official from the Gwangju city government said.

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  • Hyundai, Kia jump ahead in the U.S. hybrid market

    Hyundai, Kia jump ahead in the U.S. hybrid market

    Sales of hybrid vehicles made by Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors in the United States rose 7 percent in the first four months of this year from a year earlier, industry data showed Sunday.

    The two Korean carmakers sold a combined 15,930 hybrid models in the January-April period, including 7,927 units of Kia’s Niro crossover and 4,836 units of Hyundai’s Ioniq, according to numbers released by hybridcars.com, a U.S. website.

    The robust sales of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors came as total sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. fell 11.6 percent on-year to 100,456 units.

    Hyundai and Kia trailed Japanese auto giant Toyota and Ford in hybrid sales, which took the first and second places in terms of sales with 56,791 units and 19,583 units, respectively.

    The brisk sales of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors boosted their combined market share in hybrid vehicles to 15.9 percent in the January-April period, compared with 7.5 percent for the whole of 2011.

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  • Department store sales benefit from holidays

    Department store sales benefit from holidays

    Department-store sales in South Korea rose this month with several family-oriented holidays and special occasions, retail industry data shows.

    Children’s Day, which falls every May 5, a substitute day off and May 8 Parents’ Day all contributed to more consumption at department stores. Plus Buddha’s Birthday, which is a national holiday and falls on a Tuesday, created a four-day break for some workers.

    In the first 20 days of this month, sales at upper-end department stores like Hyundai, Lotte and Shinsegae all rose, with some reporting close to double-digit gains compared with the year before.

    Shinsegae says its sales shot up 9.9 per cent, compared to a 1.5 per cent contraction for May last year. Sales of men’s and women’s clothing rose 16.1 and 12.6 per cent respectively, while demand for sports products rose 12.6 per cent. It said demand for designer goods soared 26 per cent.

    Hyundai says it sold 6.1 per cent more goods, with Lotte trailing with a gain of 5.3 per cent.

    Discount store chain E-Mart says sales for April and May were down slightly with the demand for both fresh and processed food falling last month.

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