Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
BMW sedan catches fire again
By Lee Hyo-sik
Another BMW sedan caught fire while being driven, Monday, the fourth incident of its kind over the past month. The latest incident has further raised safety concerns among owners of vehicles made by the German automaker.
Cars manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, Audi and other German carmakers have also caught fire, particularly during the winter, because of overheating engines among other causes, according to industry officials.
According to police and the fire department, a BMW 750Li sedan manufactured in 2006 became engulfed in flames on the Yeongdong Expressway in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province at about 4:26 p.m. Monday.
As soon as the fire broke out, the 52-year-old driver pulled over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle.
Firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene to extinguish the burning car. The fire was estimated to have caused about 8.8 million won in damage. The cause is unknown.
On Nov. 3, a BMW 520d sedan caught fire in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Two days later, another 520d sedan was destroyed by fire on the road near the World Cup Stadium in western Seoul.
On Nov. 7, a BMW 5 Series sedan also caught fire in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, and a day later, a BMW 7 Series car was destroyed by fire on the Seoul Ring Expressway near Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.