Samsung SDI ready to roll out 46-series batteries: CEO

Samsung SDI President and CEO Choi Joo-sun said Wednesday the company is poised to start mass production of its new 46-series cylindrical batteries for electric vehicles, an upgraded version of the smaller 21700 batteries. “We have secured customers for these batteries and have submitted sample products (to them),” said Choi during a press briefing at the InterBattery 2025 exhibition on Wednesday in Gangnam, Seoul, while declining to disclose specifics, citing confidentiality. The 46-series cyli

March 5, 2025

KG Mobility debuts Korea's first electric pickup Musso EV

Korean automaker KG Mobility officially launched its first electric pickup truck, the Musso EV, on Wednesday at its headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The launch ceremony was attended by KG Mobility Chairman Kwak Jae-sun, Co-CEOs Hwang Ki-young and Park Jang-ho, along with officials from Chinese battery maker BYD, which supplies the battery system for the new electric vehicle. “While the Torres and Actyon were planned when the company was still known as SsangYong Motor, the Musso EV

March 5, 2025

LG Energy Solution CEO: Strategic US expansion to offset trade challenges

Kim Dong-myung, CEO of LG Energy Solution and chairman of the Korea Battery Industry Association, stated Wednesday that the company is well-positioned to benefit from its extensive US production facilities, despite the tariff threats from President Donald Trump. “The tariff policies of the new US administration fundamentally encourage domestic production,” Kim said during a press briefing at the InterBattery 2025 exhibition in Gangnam, Seoul. “We intend to capitalize on our US factories effectiv

March 5, 2025

Hankook chief vows to revive Hanon Systems within 3 years

Cho Hyun-bum, chairperson of Hankook & Co., has pledged to restore newly acquired Hanon Systems' business within three years, vowing to implement sweeping reforms, the company announced Tuesday. “It is critically important how we innovate Hanon Systems — a company that owns core mobility technologies — over the next three years by accurately analyzing and correcting its past errors and wrong practices,” Cho said during a management strategy meeting Friday. “While prioritizing execution over plan

March 4, 2025

Hyundai Glovis equips entire fleet with EV fire suppression system

Logistics company Hyundai Glovis announced Tuesday that it has equipped all 32 of its car carrier ships with an EV drill lance, a specialized fire suppression device designed to quickly extinguish fires in electric vehicles. An EV drill lance operates by drilling directly into the battery pack of a burning electric vehicle and injecting water. The process takes about two minutes and significantly reduces the risk of a fire spreading. Because vehicles are densely arranged on ships, early fire sup

March 4, 2025

GM Korea CEO reaffirms commitment amid tariff worries

Amid concerns over a potential withdrawal due to tariff threats from US President Donald Trump's administration, Hector Villarreal, General Motors Korea president and CEO, reaffirmed his commitment to the company’s domestic operations. According to the company, Villarreal visited the Chevrolet Shinchon dealership on Friday, where he highlighted a focus on "achieving sales growth this year by offering world-class premium vehicles from GM’s global brands, including Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC, to

March 4, 2025

BYD seeks $5.2b in biggest Hong Kong share sale in four Years

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is aiming to raise as much as 40.7 billion Hong Kong dollars ($5.2 billion) in what would be Hong Kong’s biggest share sale in nearly four years. The company is offering 118 million shares at 333 to 345 Hong Kong dollars each, according to terms of the deal seen by Bloomberg News. That implies a discount of up to 8.4 percent to BYD’s closing price on Monday, according to Bloomberg calculations. The transaction marks Hong Kong’s biggest share sale since food-del

March 3, 2025

Innometry to showcase noninvasive X-ray inspection tech for EV batteries

Innometry said Monday it will present its noninvasive X-ray inspection solutions for electric vehicle batteries at this week’s InterBattery expo in Seoul. The company will showcase its X-ray and 3D CT technology used to analyze the internal structure of the car batteries to identify manufacturing defects and help prevent EV fires. Specifically, the equipment is designed to monitor whether the internal electrodes in batteries of various form factors ― such as prismatic, pouch and cylindrical ― ar

March 3, 2025

Samsung SDI powers Hyundai Motor’s AI robots, self-driving tech

Samsung SDI announced Monday that it would showcase new battery technologies for Hyundai Motor Group's robots and autonomous vehicles at the upcoming InterBattery 2025 expo in Seoul. At its exhibition booth, the company will feature DAL-e, a service robot developed by Hyundai Motor and Kia, which runs on a battery pack powered by Samsung SDI’s 21700 cylindrical cells — measuring 21 millimeters in diameter and 70 millimeters in length. The robot will engage with visitors and introduce Samsung SDI

March 3, 2025

SK On, SK Enmove to showcase fireproofing solution for EV batteries

SK On said Sunday that it will showcase an advanced thermal management solution for electric vehicle batteries with SK Enmove, its sister company under SK Innovation, at the upcoming battery exhibition in Seoul. The company’s battery pack, currently under development with the lubricant supplier, features “immersion cooling technology” that enhances cooling efficiency through an optimized fluid flow design, maximizing the contact area between thermal fluids and cells. Immersion cooling is a therm

March 3, 2025

Hyundai Motor CEO Munoz named person of year in auto field by MotorTrend

Korean automaker’s first foreign leader gets recognized for driving Hyundai’s growth in North America Hyundai Motor Company CEO Jose Munoz has been named the person of the year in the automotive industry for 2025 by US auto magazine MotorTrend, taking the top honor among numerous household names such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the second place and General Motors CEO Mary Barra at the fourth spot. Munoz, who became the first foreign CEO of Hyundai Motor Company in January this year, was recognized

Feb. 28, 2025

[Photo News] Rexton wins Australian top honor

KG Mobility said Friday that its signature pickup truck, the Rexton Sports, recently won the best dual-cab utility vehicle under AU$50,000 ($31,100) category, taking the top honor from Australian auto outlet Drive for the second consecutive year. As the Rexton Sports is sold under the name of Musso, Drive said, "The engineering team in South Korea continued to improve the Musso over the years, making it the best option in this category for value-conscious buyers." KGM, a Korean sport utility veh

Feb. 28, 2025

Kia debuts EV4 electric sedan, versatile PV5 PBV in Spain

Carmaker's new EV lineup signals electrification across all segments Kia, Korea’s second-largest automaker, announced Thursday that it showcased its latest electric vehicle models at the 2025 Kia EV Day in Tarragona, Spain. At the event on Feb. 24, Kia unveiled its first electric sedan, the EV4, and purpose-built vehicle, the PV5, marking the company’s commitment to expanding its electric lineup. "As a sustainable mobility solution provider, Kia continues to accelerate EV adoption by offering pr

Feb. 27, 2025

Kia, Samsung join hands to make cars smarter

Korea’s leading auto, electronics giants expand partnership with series of collaboration announcements Kia has partnered with Samsung Electronics to advance the digital experience of the former’s Platform Beyond Vehicle, or PBV, offerings by integrating the latter’s internet of things, or IoT, solutions into the Kia PBVs, the automaker said Thursday. According to Kia, the two signed a memorandum of understanding during Kia’s 2025 EV Day held in Tarragona, Spain, on Monday to mark the latest coll

Feb. 27, 2025

Hyundai, Kia weigh cost of US expansion against tariff hikes

US plant wages set to exceed Korea’s; Kia risks losing cost advantage in Mexico In response to President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia plan to ramp up production within the all-important US market, shifting away from their traditional export routes from South Korea and Mexico. However, this move is expected to come with higher labor costs. "Hyundai Motor and Kia have long targeted the US market by relying heavily on exports from Korea and Mexico due to manageable produ

Feb. 26, 2025