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Hyundai launches Genesis Prada sedan in South Korea

Filed under: Sedan, Hyundai, Luxury, South Korea

Hyundai Genesis Prada

Hyundai Genesis Prada – Click above for high-res image gallery

As recently as a decade ago, mentioning brands like Hyundai and Prada in the same sentence would have seemed laughable. But today’s Hyundai is a very different company with a very different image. And no car could sum up such a transformation more than the Genesis.

Two years ago, the Korean automaker announced a partnership with the Italian fashion house with a concept car, but has now launched the production Genesis Prada in its home market. The special edition luxury sedan is distinguished by special paint – either Brown Moro, Blue Baltico or Black Nero – with a shark-fin antenna on the roof, offset by dark chrome trim and special 19-inch alloys. Saffiano parchment leather swaths the interior along with piano lacquer black trim and a rear-seat entertainment system. And of course you can count on the requisite badges to identify this Genesis as different from all others.

Hyundai’s celebrated 5.0-liter V8 with 424 horsepower is on pushing duty, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Distribution will be constricted initially to South Korea, before availability will commence in limited numbers of China and Middle Eastern markets. Follow the jump for more details and check out the high-resolution images in our gallery for a closer look.

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Hyundai launches Genesis Prada sedan in South Korea originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hyundai may import Elantra from Korea to meet surging demand

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hyundai

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra – Click above for high-res image gallery

The rakish 2011 Hyundai Elantra hit North American dealerships late last year, priced from $14,830 (*excluding $720 for destination). In December 2010, Elantra sales totaled 13,096 units, up from 5,763 in 2009, and this high demand for the new Elantra may be higher than the Korean automaker had originally anticipated.

This increased demand has prompted Hyundai to consider importing some Elantras from Korea. Currently, Hyundai produces U.S.-market Elantras at its Montgomery, AL plant. This facility’s annual production capacity, which stands at 330,000 total units, may not be enough to satisfy America’s thirst for the stylish compact. Recently, Hyundai spokesman Frank Ahrens told Automotive News that:

If Elantra does what we think, hope it will do, it will mean we’ll have to export them from Korea. We’re pretty bullish on it, given the reviews it’s received so far and the price.

The 2011 Elantra is $1,445 cheaper than a base Chevrolet Cruze and $1,440 less than a base 2012 Ford Focus, which makes Hyundai’s model a pocketbook-friendly alternative to its main competitors in the compact class.

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Elantra: First Drive

2011 Hyundai Elantra

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: Hyundai may import Elantra from Korea to meet surging demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Chevrolet replaces Daewoo name in Korea

Filed under: Chevrolet, GM, South Korea, Daewoo

Chevrolet Camaro in Korea – Click above for high-resolution image

There once was a time when Daewoo was one of the biggest companies in South Korea. It was larger than both LG and Samsung, and second only to Hyundai. But these days the name is all but gone.

The Korean government disbanded the Daewoo Group in 1999. At that point GM already owned about half of Daewoo Motors, a stake that has varied over time. Ever since, the General has used Daewoo’s resources to develop and produce a range of vehicles sold under other GM divisions, principally Chevrolet, which has already replaced Daewoo in many markets to become GM’s principal global brand. (The globalization of Chevrolet has escalated to such an extent that, over the course of last year, somewhere in the world, a Chevy was being sold every 7.4 seconds.)

One of the few exceptions has been in Korea itself, where the Daewoo name still means something. But that something isn’t necessarily good, and so GM is phasing out the name even in the brand’s own domestic market. The development has been a long time coming, and will encompass both the cars themselves and the company that builds them. GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. is officially changing its name to GM Korea Co by the end of the quarter.

In an odd bit of history repeating, the company was called GM-Korea once before, after Detroit stepped in to take over half the company from Toyota, which had collaborated with what was then known as Shinjin Motor until 1972. Full details of the announcement in the press release after the jump.

[Source: GM]

Continue reading Officially Official: Chevrolet replaces Daewoo name in Korea

Officially Official: Chevrolet replaces Daewoo name in Korea originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: UAW to hold sympathy strike for Hyundai workers in Korea

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Hyundai, UAW/Unions, South Korea

UAW logo The UAW has announced its support for Hyundai workers in South Korea who have been on strike since November 15. The employees are all temporary and contract workers who receive lower pay and fewer benefits compared to their full-time counterparts, and their strike has managed to shut down a production facility. According to the Detroit Free Press, the UAW says that at least one fifth of Hyundai workers are temporary and that those workers deserve the same pay and benefit as the automaker’s full-time employees. In addition, the UAW says that many of the Hyundai temporary workers are often hired by false contractors.

To that end, the UAW plans to hold a rally outside of Hyundai’s technical center in Superior Township, Michigan. The union also said that other organizations around the globe will stage similar protests, though where those rallies will take place and who will take part remains unclear.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Report: UAW to hold sympathy strike for Hyundai workers in Korea originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: U.S., South Korea closer to new trade deal

Filed under: Government/Legal, South Korea

Flags

The United States and South Korea have reached an agreement regarding revisions to the free-trade deal between the two nations. This move allows the U.S. and the South Korea to move forward and look at approving the legislation, which has been delayed due to issues on both sides.

A rundown of what has been changed is as follows:

The U.S. can phase out its 2.5 percent tariff on automobiles over five years, instead of three.

Each U.S. Automaker can export up to 25,000 cars to South Korea annually provided they meet US crash standards.

The U.S. can continue charging a 25 percent tariff on trucks for eight years and then phase it out by the 10th year.

South Korea will eliminate its tariff on trucks.

Both sides report that significant progress has been made, and the revised agreement continues to be reviewed. With $68 billion in trade floating between the United States and the Republic of Korea, getting this trade agreement signed should serve to boost our national export business.

[Source: Automotive News – sub.req.]

Report: U.S., South Korea closer to new trade deal originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai Avante captured on the roads of South Korea [w/video]

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Hyundai

Hyundai Avante – Click above for high-res image gallery or follow the jump to watch the video

The trickle becomes a stream as more materials on the Hyundai Avante sedan are released. We can now confirm that what is likely to become the 2011 Hyundai Elantra on our shores will have the presence to set itself apart in an ever-improving small-car crowd.

If the specs carry over as well, the next Elantra will be about three inches longer than the Ford Focus sedan and nearly as powerful, down by two horsepower and 15 pound-feet. On the other hand, it will get Fiesta-like gas mileage, returning 40 mpg with the manual and 39 mpg with the automatic. You can check out the pics and the specs in the high-res gallery below, and check out B-roll footage of the car after the jump. Top tip, Joseph and APJ!

Gallery: Hyundai Avante on the road

[Source: Paul Tan]

Continue reading Hyundai Avante captured on the roads of South Korea [w/video]

Hyundai Avante captured on the roads of South Korea [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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