The Korea Times

MINI launches most powerful model

The MINI John Cooper Works (JCW), mounting a 2-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine, is the fastest and most powerful MINI yet, with 231 horsepower, up 9 percent from the previous model. / Courtesy of MINIBy Park Jin-haiMINI Korea launched the most powerful production model of its car, Friday.  The MINI John Cooper Works (JCW), mounting a 2-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine, is known to be the fastest and most powerful MINI yet, with 231 horsepower, up 9 percent from the previous model.It takes just 6.1 seconds to hit 100 kilometers per hour from a standstill, with a maximum speed of 246 kilometer per hour. Its torque has been improved 23 percent at 32.7 kilogram meters, while its fuel efficiency is up 3 percent at 11.9 kilometer per liter.The company says it aims to sell 7,000 MINIs this year.“When we first launched the brand in 2005, we sold just 761 cars. In ten years, the number grew ten-fold to 6,572 last year,” said Joo Yang-ye, director of MINI Sales and Marketing, during the launch event at the BMW Driving Center on Youngjong

Jun 26, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

WeMakePrice tops service quality survey

By Park Jin-haiWeMake Price stood atop a service quality survey among social commerce platforms, the Korean Standards Association said Friday.The association, a public organization in charge of establishing industrial standardization, said WeMake Price scored a combined 67.2 points in its annual KS-SQI survey, followed by Coupang with 65.4 points and Timon with 64.4.  It surveyed the residents of five major cities, including Seoul, who used the services between March and May, in seven service categories including main services, optional services, access and reliability.WeMake Price claimed the top ranking for the second straight year.  It was recognized for its quality customer service, including compensation programs for delivery delays, the association said.The company’s customer satisfaction team monitors consumer complaints and gives handwritten apologies to those consumers.“Through various channels, we are tracking to check how each customer has been dealt with until the end,” said an official from the social commerce firm. “We will make further

Jun 26, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Gangnam at odds with SMG over Hyundai Motor land development plan

By Park Jin-haiGangnam-gu Office, which oversees the district where Hyundai Motor’s new 115-story headquarters is to be built, said Wednesday that it opposes the development plan agreed between Hyundai Motor and Seoul Metropolitan City (SMC).The office said it was excluded from the negotiations although the district is where the headquarters and other facilities are located.The country's largest automaker, after meeting with the Seoul government, must change the nature of its prime property in Samseong-dong from “residential” to “commercial” zone, if it wants to build its global business center on the 79,342 square-meter site.Hyundai Motor is willing to offer 1.7 trillion won if SMG alters the classification of the site. Gangnam district, however, claimed that SMC is trying to use the money to develop Songpa-gu area as part of the city mayor’s legacy-building, instead of building additional transport infrastructure to reduce anticipated traffic jams and environmental damage.“Gangnam –gu disapproves the preliminary development plan that

Jun 24, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Ford dealership fined for false advertising

Sunin Motors, which sells Taurus sedans provided by its official importer Ford Sales & Service Korea, has carried false information in its brochures and on its home page. / Korea Times fileBy Park Jin-haiA Ford dealership has been slapped with a 149 million won fine for putting out a false advertisement about its Taurus cars.The Korean antitrust watchdog Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Tuesday that Sunin Motors, which sells Taurus sedans provided by its official importer Ford Sales & Service Korea, has carried false information in its brochures and on its home page that the 2014 Taurus had the Hill Start Assist feature for five months from Jan.1, 2014.Hill Start Assist prevents the car from rolling when trying to pull away on an up or down gradient, simulating a handbrake hill start.The competition regulator said such advertisements confuse consumers and violate the country's fair trade rules.The FTC said the fine will help create an environment where customers can purchase imported cars based on accurate knowledge about the vehicles that the dealers sell.“The import c

Jun 23, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Hyundai breaks ground for Chongqing plant

Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun, third from left, and other officials pose during a groundbreaking ceremony for its fifth China plant in Chongqing, Tuesday. Participants from left are; Xu He Yi, Beijing Hyundai Motor chairman; Kim Jang-soo, Korean ambassador to China; Chung; Sun Zheng Cai, Communist Party chief of Chongqing; Huang Qi Fan, Chongqing mayor; and Zhang Gong, Beijing vice mayor. / YonhapFifth Chinese plant to have 300,000 capacityBy Park Jin-haiHyundai Motor broke ground for its fifth China plant in Chongqing, Tuesday, to expand its presence in the world’s largest auto market.The facility will have an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles. Along with the fourth plant Hyundai has been building in Changzhou since April, it has secured a strong foothold to make inroads into the fast growing Midwest region of China.  During the ceremony, at which 600 senior government officials and diplomats were in attendance, Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun said, “Having the new plant as our springboard to western China, we will become a global

Jun 23, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Kia's K5 expected to speed up new car rush

By Park Jin-haiKia Motors start receiving preorders for its new K5 sedan from today, igniting a fresh round of competition to attract customers to new models in the second half.The new K5, debuted through the Seoul Motor Show in April, is a full changed second generation model in five years, and is expected to lead  the carmaker’s domestic sales in the second half of this year.The new K5 to be launched in mid July will have two design versions with seven engine types.Three gasoline and two diesel models will be launched first, and its hybrid model will join in during the fourth quarter, followed by plug-in hybrid model in early next year.  “By adding 1.6 turbo and 1.7 diesel engines with seven-speed dual clutch transmission, the new K5 has greatly improved fuel efficiency,” said the company in the statement.Its 1.7 diesel model has 16.8 kilometer per a liter of fuel, higher than average compacts, according to the company.Hyundai will launch new Sonata midsize sedan next month and the new Avante compacts in September. The new Sonata with 1.7-liter dies

Jun 21, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Kia's K5 expected to speed up new car rush

Companies

Foreign 'luxury taxies' to hit road

By Park Jin-haiBMW and Mercedes taxies will begin operating in Korea as early as July as the government plans to loosen regulations to allow other types of “luxury taxies.”At a time when the demand for import vehicles has hit record highs, they are gearing up to take a big bite out of the local taxi market.They will be called “gogeup taxi,” which means “high-quality taxi” in Korean. They are different from the current “mobeom taxi” or “deluxe taxies.”The new luxury taxies will look like ordinary cars, and have no meter, and can freely charge fares based on the services they offer.“There has been demand for luxury taxies. That’s why we are introducing new premium taxi services by relaxing related regulations,” said an official of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and TransportUnder the current Passenger Transport Service Act, vehicles with more than a 3-liter engine can only run as premium taxies.Thus most imported cars including the BMW 7-series and Mercedes S-Classes and Audi A8 that have slightly less

Jun 21, 2015By Park Jin-hai

People & Events

'A good pianist should be subjective'

Pianist Kim Jae-young performs at Carnegie Hall in this January 2012 file photo.  / Korea TimesPianist Kim Jae-youngBy Park Jin-haiKim Jae-young, 21, won this year’s prestigious Yamaha Young Performing Artists (YYPA) Competition for Piano, with eight other young musicians also victorious in different musical fields.The only Korean among the winners will leave for the YYPA Celebration Weekend to be held at Ball State University in Indiana from June 20 to 23. This will include rehearsals, master classes and workshops focusing on having a career in music.Kim, a Juilliard undergraduate student, under the tutelage of Jerome Lowenthal, says he started playing the piano when his mother noticed he had perfect pitch at the age of five.  “Since then, my life has been deeply involved with the piano. All those good and bad years, the piano has been always by my side,” said Kim, during an e-mail interview with The Korea Times.He studied at the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul before moving to the United States in 2011. Kim also took lessons at the Eastman Sch

Jun 18, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Audi launches A1 hatchback compact

Models pose next to the new Audi A1 hatchback during a launch event in southern Seoul, Thursday. The entry-level compact hatchback appeals to young customers and has a price tag in the upper 30 million won range. / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiAudi Korea unveiled its new A1 hatchback, fueling competition in the heated compact car segment, Thursday.The stylish compact with a price tag starting from 32.7 million won targets customers in their 20s and 30s.“These days more consumers want premium compact cars and we believe that the new A1 will give the most attractive choice to the Korean market,” said Audi Korea CEO Johannes Thammer, during a launch event in Seoul, Thursday. “We are introducing the updated version of the A1 with improved performance and design.”The A1 is one of Audi's most popular models, which has sold around 500,000 since its 2010 launch in Europe.The new A1 mounted a 1.6 TDI diesel engine, meeting the Euro 6 emission standards, along with a seven-speed automatic transmission.It has maximum 116 horsepower and torque of 25.5 kilogram-meters.The car

Jun 18, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Samsung Techwin clinches $1.7 bil. aircraft engine deal

Samsung Techwin PresidentKim Cheol-kyo, center, poses with Bennett Croswell, right, president of Pratt & Whitney’s military engines business, andJim Maser, vice president of Pratt & Whitney’s marketing division, after they signed a risk and revenue sharing partnership (RRSP) agreement for the development of aero-engine parts, during the Paris Air Show, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiSamsung Techwin, Samsung’s defense unit, which is soon to be merged with Hanwha Group, inked a $1.7 billion deal to supply aircraft engine parts to U.S. engine maker Pratt & Whitney during the Paris Air Show.Under a risk and revenue sharing partnership (RRSP) deal with one of the world’s top-three aero-engine makers, the Korean firm will provide engine parts until 2062.The RRSP is a specific contract form that distributes all the risk and revenue throughout the aero-engine development, manufacturing and after-sales, in proportion to the stakes partners hold in the project.  Samsung Techwin will develop and manufacture the middle turbine frame that is part of Pratt

Jun 17, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

MINI launches most powerful model

WeMakePrice tops service quality survey

Gangnam at odds with SMG over Hyundai Motor land development plan

Ford dealership fined for false advertising

Hyundai breaks ground for Chongqing plant

Kia's K5 expected to speed up new car rush

Foreign 'luxury taxies' to hit road

'A good pianist should be subjective'

Audi launches A1 hatchback compact

Samsung Techwin clinches $1.7 bil. aircraft engine deal

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