Hyundai kona

SEOUL: Some owners of Hyundai Motor's Kona electric vehicles say the South Korean automaker is bungling a major recall with delays and poor communication, and risks losing buyers as it targets the No.3 spot in the fast-growing sector. Hyundai said last month it would replace the battery systems in some 82,000 electric vehicles globally at a cost of US$900 million following fires in 15 Kona EVs. But Hyundai has yet to convey a clear plan to owners on when and how they can expect to have a potential fire hazard they are driving fixed, some of the owners have complained. "When I asked Hyundai's repair centre when exactly my Kona EV will be getting a battery replacement, they just told me that they would put me ahead in the line, but I haven't received the exact date yet," a 34-year-old Kona EV owner in Seoul surnamed Kim told Reuters. Owners who spoke to Reuters declined to give their full names, citing concerns about privacy and a potential backlash from Hyundai. "There ... » Learn More about Kona EV owners say Hyundai mishandling recall for battery fires

Genesis, car manufacturer Hyundai’s brand of luxury line of vehicles entrance into the China market was celebrated with a dazzling performance of a record-breaking 3,218 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) drones over Shanghai’s skyline. The concept of the display in the sky was based around the brand storytelling, brand identity and distinctive design philosophy of Genesis. How many drones: 3,281 We sourced out a few other past ground-breaking drone performances for your viewing pleasure, and each event outnumbered the other over the years. How many drones: 3,051 How many drones: 2,198 How many drones: 2,066 How many drones: 1,400 How many drones: 1,218 This article was first published in Geek Culture . ... » Learn More about Hyundai Genesis sets Guinness world record for flying 3,281 drones

MANY of the world’s biggest automakers are suspending operations at their factories in Asia, Europe and North America due to a persistent shortage of semiconductors that was exacerbated by a fire at a key chip-producing plant over the weekend. Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG and Honda Motor Co. are among those affected by problems with the supply of semiconductors, which are used in vehicles to manage and monitor everything from engine and driving performance to air-conditioning and entertainment systems. "Production is really vulnerable right now, ” Bloomberg Intelligence auto-industry analyst Tatsuo Yoshida said. "Any kind of abnormal occurrence causes parts to run out.” The shortage initially came about as rising demand for cars coincided with a boom in the market for devices such as laptops, webcams and gaming systems as people spent longer at home due to the pandemic. Analysts at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. already estimated in January ... » Learn More about Global auto plants now idle as chip supplies dry up

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III arrives at Office of the Commission for the 119th anniversary celebration of the Bureau of Customs. MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs celebrated its 119th founding anniversary on Tuesday with the theme “Makabagong Aduana, Matatag na Ekonomiya” (Modern Customs, Strong Economy) to stress its steadfast resolve to continue giving efficient service as it strives to achieve a world-class customs administration. To achieve this, it will keep improving its revenue collection, strengthen its border protection, and enhance trade facilitation, according to a statement. Meanwhile, the bureau held its anniversary celebration at the grounds of the Office of the Commissioner at Port Area in Manila. Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Undersecretary Antonette Tionko of the Department of Finance attended the event. Among the highlights of the celebration was the destruction of forfeited vehicles and the recognition of the bureau’s ... » Learn More about Bureau of Customs aims for world-class service as it marks 119th anniversary

SEOUL: South Korean flag carrier Korean Air said on Monday it will buy out its smaller, troubled rival Asiana Airlines in a $1.6 billion deal as it looks to consolidate with the global aviation sector devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. The deal combining South Korea’s two biggest airlines comes as carriers around the world struggle with low demand, hemorrhaging cash and grounding planes to survive. “The main reason behind Korean Air’s decision to acquire Asiana Airlines at this time is to stabilise the Korean aviation industry, which is suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic,” Korean Air said in a statement. “Once Korean Air completes its acquisition of Asiana Airlines, the airline is expected to be ranked as one of the top 10 airlines in the world.” Korean Air said it would pay 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) for Asiana, using cash from a 2.5 trillion won rights issue early next year. The deal also includes Asiana’s affiliates, including low-cost carriers Air Seoul and Air ... » Learn More about Korean Air to acquire Asiana Airlines

ATLANTA: Shootings at two massage parlours in Atlanta and one in the suburbs on Tuesday (Mar 16) evening left eight people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said. A 21-year-old man suspected to be involved in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt, police said. The attacks began around 5pm local time, when five people were shot at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor in a strip mall near a rural area in Acworth, about 50 km north of Atlanta, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Captain Jay Baker said. Two people died at the scene and three were transported to a hospital where two of them also died, Baker said. Authorities were not immediately releasing the gender or race of the victims, Baker said. No one was arrested at the scene. About 5.50pm, police in the Buckhead neighbourhood of Atlanta, responding to a call of a robbery in progress, found three women dead from apparent gunshot wounds at Gold Spa in ... » Learn More about Man in police custody after US massage parlour shootings leave 8 dead

DUBAI: Elon Musk is now the world’s richest person, edging out previous title holder Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. His rocketing fortune is due to the booming share price of Tesla, the maker of electric vehicles and clean energy technologies. In the past week Tesla’s share price surpassed US$880, 10 times its March 2020 low of US$85, giving the company a market capitalisation (or total value) in excess of US$880 billion – more than Toyota, Volkswagen, Daimler, General Motors, BMW, Honda, Hyundai and Ford combined. That’s an extraordinary amount for a company that only last financial year made its first full-year profit since being founded in 2003; and that profit was relatively modest. It gave Tesla a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio – a standard measure of a stock’s value – close to 1,700. READ: Commentary: Electric vehicles in Singapore – how much is just hype? Compare that to the other shares that have boomed since global stock markets rebounded from the COVID-induced lows of March ... » Learn More about Commentary: Is Tesla’s share price justified? Probably not

SANGLEY POINT, Cavite — Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, who took over the reins of the Philippine Navy two years ago at the height of the controversy over the P16-billion frigate acquisition project, will cap off his 37-year military career on Monday, Feb. 3. Days before his departure, he spoke about his leadership at the Navy and the criticisms hurled at him on the onset. Empedrad was AFP deputy chief of staff for reservist and retiree affairs (J9) based in Camp Aguinaldo, the AFP headquarters, when he was named officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Philippine Navy in December 2017. His predecessor, Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado, had been unceremoniously removed. Mercado was sacked by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for his supposedly inappropriate insistence to acquire a certain brand of combat management system (CMS) chosen by the Navy. The Philippine government had signed a deal with Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for two frigates for P16 billion in 2016, ... » Learn More about In swan song, retiring Navy chief lights flare vs criticisms

The Philippine automotive industry in 2019 ended with paltry sales of just 416,627 units sold. This was reported to the Times by three major automotive associations: The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI), Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), and the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID). Overall, industry sales registered a minimal 3.69 percent increase in comparison to 2018 figures. What kept the industry afloat was the strong showing of the Commercial Vehicles segment, which included SUV’s, MPV’s, pick-up trucks, crossovers and buses. These vehicles kept the midnight oil burning for an ailing industry as it accounted for 69.18 percent of the consumer pie, with 288,218 units sold; while the Passenger Car segment accounted for 128,409 units sold rounding off the remaining 30.82 percent of the domestic automotive market. It was also this year that the Government slapped the industry with the TRAIN Law, whose primary aim was to ... » Learn More about Buckling down to recover lost ground

2021 is seen as the year of recovery for the automotive industry, and surely, there’ll be a lot of car launches in a bid to stimulate the market once again. Among the numerous expected car launches this year, here are 13 of these launches to look forward to as we celebrate 13 years of motoring at The Manila Times. Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban I’ve decided to cluster the Tahoe and Suburban as one vehicle since these two SUVs are essentially short- and long-wheelbase versions of each other. Nevertheless, the all-new Tahoe and Suburban feature a more aggressive exterior design than ever before. And as with every succeeding new car, the interior features more tech, space and luxury than its predecessor. Powertrain details for the Philippine market have not yet been revealed, though we certainly hope that Chevy decides to power the Tahoe and Suburban with an all-new Duramax inline-6 3.0-liter diesel engine, which produces 277 hp and 623 Nm of torque. Chevrolet Corvette C8 ... » Learn More about Lucky 13 cars to jumpstart the auto industry