The Korea Times

Mercedes to expand after-sales 'My Service'

The newly refurbished Mercedes-Benz service center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, has offered customized after-sales service, called My Service, from March. It is comprised of an after-sales service and repair complex. / Courtesy of Mercedes-BenzBy Park Jin-haiKim Ji-yeon, a budget-minded Mercedes owner whose car warranty had expired, walks into the newly furbished Mercedes Suwon service center at 2 p.m.She reserved from Mercedes the My Service Economy after-sale option and a trained service crew, one armed with an iPad, greets her.The point person explains the maintenance process and informs her that she will get a 10 percent discount because she visited the center at one of its least-busy times.In the second-floor lounge, another woman in her late 40s, who chose the My Service Lounge option, takes her time, receiving a massage and nail care while her car is being serviced.Mercedes-Benz announced on Thursday at the Suwon service center that it will expand its customer lifestyle-tailored after-sales service, My Service, to increase customer satisfaction.“We always empha

Jun 12, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Mercedes to expand after-sales 'My Service'

Companies

Kia to sell cars in Mexican next month

By Park Jin-haiKia Motors will start selling cars in Mexico from next month, according to the company, Wednesday.Korea’s second-largest car maker said in statement that it officially launched 21 dealerships in 10 cities, during a press conference in Mexico City Tuesday.  Those dealers will start selling Kia cars from July 1, and the number of dealerships will grow to 65 by 2017, the company said.The K3 (locally called the Forte), Sportage and Sorento will be sold there. The new version of the K5 to be launched here in July will be available to customers in Mexico during the second half of this year as well.Mexico, the world’s seventh-largest market in terms of annual car production, has one of the fastest growing automotive markets as well. Mexico sold 1.14 million cars last year, from 990,000 in 2012 and 1 million in 2013.The country has remained an untapped market for Kia, due to trade barriers including a prohibitive 20-percent tariff.However, thanks to the plant the company is currently building in Mexico, the K3 will be shipped from Korea tariff-free, while the

Jun 10, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Hanwha, Tesla team up

By Park Jin-haiHanwha Q CELLS Chief Commercial Officer Kim Dong-kwanHanwha Q CELLS, the solar power unit of Hanwha Group, has joined hands with Tesla to target the solar market in Europe, the company said Tuesday.At an international solar energy fair, Intersolar Europe, which opened in Munich Germany today and continues until Friday, the world’s largest cell maker displayed Tesla’s Model S electric super car in its joint promotion.Industry insiders see that Kim Dong-kwan, the heir apparent of the Hanwha Group and chief commercial officer of Hanwha QCELLS who attended the fair with the company, have played a critical role in the joint marketing.Visitors to the company booth can see a demonstration of a Tesla car battery being quickly charged with Hanwha Q CELLS-made solar photovoltaic cells. They also have opportunities to win a weekend with the Tesla Model S by participating in a raffle.The joint promotion is expected to raise Hanwha Q CELLS’ brand value in Europe and the United States, as well as cementing Kim’s influence within the group.  “We see

Jun 9, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

BMW courts young drivers with entry level 1-Series

Models pose next to the all new BMW 118d Sport hatchback during a launch event at the company’s showroom in southern Seoul, Monday. The diesel powered facelift second generation 1-Series model has high performing TwinPower Turbo engine that meets Euro 6 emission standards. Its price starts from 38.9 million won./ Courtesy of BMW KoreaBy Park Jin-haiBMW launched the latest version of its BMW 1-Series hatchback here Monday, courting young customers.The 1-Series is one of the company’s best-selling models, with 2 million sold globally over the past decade. BMW sold 2,700 1-Series last year, which accounted for nearly 7 percent of its total sales of 40,000.The facelift second generation BMW new 118d Sport is the cheapest diesel powered car under the BMW badge with a price tag of less than 40 million won.With its new sharpened exterior, the car claims to offer the best options in that segment.The rear-wheel drive hatchback mounting 4-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine delivers agile performance and meets the Euro 6 emission standards.“The most important thing is that despit

Jun 8, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

POSCO to sell stake in construction unit to Saudi fund

By Park Jin-haiPOSCO will sign a deal to sell a 38 percent stake in POSCO Engineering and Construction (E&C) to a Saudi sovereign fund this month, company officials said Tuesday.POSCO E&C held a board of directors meeting Monday and decided to issue new shares worth 400 billion won and sell them to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.Previously, POSCO Group, the company’s largest shareholder, said during a recent board of directors meeting that it would sell a 25 percent stake in POSCO E&C, which is worth about 800 billion won.When the deal is finalized, the Saudi sovereign fund will be the second largest shareholder of POSCO E&C, after POSCO Group which currently holds an 89.5 percent stake in the construction company.  POSCO plans to sign an agreement with PIF by mid-June.The world's fifth-largest steelmaker has pushed for the sale of the stake in the construction unit as part of restructuring efforts to improve the financial state of the group.It initially planned to sign a contract with the Saudi government by March to establish a join

Jun 2, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Bosch values communication

An employee looks for defects on Bosch’s assembly line at its Nuremberg plant in Germany. / Courtesy of BoschBy Park Jin-haiAndreas HamperBosch Senior Vice PresidentNUREMBERG, Germany ― What Hyundai Motor cars have in common with BMW, Mercedes is that all of them use Bosch car parts.Bosch is the world’s No.1 auto parts supplier by sales.In terms of direct injection, heart of the GDI engine, Bosch’s market share in gas-powered cars worldwide has grown to 60 percent since it began producing components for Volkswagen in 2000. This decade-long success has been possible because its products boast the lowest defect rate under each plant’s water-tight control process ― currently four parts per million (ppm) on average and far less than its target eight ppm.  When a defective part is found while assembling, it is disassembled immediately and must go through the whole process again from zero. All parts are marked with serial numbers that can be tracked back at any time.  "This process is universal in all our 12 plants in five countries manufact

May 31, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Lotus aims to raise business profile

Lee Hyuk, Lotus Korea general manager, stands between its popular sports car models the Elise CR, left, and Exige S. / Courtesy of Lotus KoreaBy Park Jin-haiLotus, less known to Korean customers, is eyeing a bigger market share in the local market by expanding its customer base and policies.“In Korea, Lotus largely remains as a car for a small number of racing fans. But, this will change as we are confident we can raise our market share given the ongoing popularity of motor sports," Lee Hyuk, general manager at Lotus Korea, said in an interview with The Korea Times.Lee said the local imported car market is heading toward maturity. "Therefore, demand for cars with some differences in surface design and specifications is on the rise. We think we have more chances today than any other time in Korea," the manager said at the K Hotel, in Yangjae, southern Seoul, last week.Lotus Korea plans to expand its customer base and network channels as part of strengthened customer policies. Lee said the company also plans to build its own service center."Korea started importing Lotus vehicles

May 31, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Hanwha to build 1.5GW solar plant in Jincheon

By Park Jin-haiThe nation’s leading solar cell maker Hanwha Q Cells Korea will build a 1.5 gigawatt (GW) solar cell plant in Jincheon, while recently merged Hanwha Q Cells will double production of its current 250 megawatt (MW) modules at its plant in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, Hanwha Group said Sunday.The company will invest 350 billion won in the solar cell plant, which will be completed within this year; and 10 billion won in the solar module plant, scheduled to be completed in September.The group said that the expansion was aimed at meeting increasing demand for cells and modules in the downstream solar energy market as well as preparing for additional orders following a recent large-scale order it received from the United States.Hanwah Q Cells closed a deal with U.S. power company NextEra Energy in April to supply 1.5 GW modules from the fourth quarter until the end of 2016.“By having new facilities we have ensured a stable supply NextEra Energy. And it also means we are prepared for the solar energy era,” a company official said.Also, the new plants

May 31, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Audi dismisses mileage inflation announcement

By Park Jin-haiWill Audi pay owners of its A3 3.0 TDI sedans for what the government claims was misleading information on their cars’ mileage?GM Korea made voluntary compensation to the tune of 32 billion won for about 80,000 Cruize subcompact vehicles, admitting that it inflated its mileage by 9 percent.Now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport says that Audi has overstated its A3 3.0 TDI’s mileage by more than the permitted margin of error of 5 percent in previous tests carried out last year.Sources say that the car had its mileage inflated by over 10 percent.Audi previously stated that the vehicle’s mileage was 13 kilometers per liter.Audi said it correctly conducted a gas mileage test on the vehicles and never misled consumers."We never overstated the fuel efficiency of the A3 3.0 TDI sedan," an Audi Korea spokesman said. "We tested our vehicles under a European standard because we were told to do so early last year by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. We conducted the tests and then notified both the transport and the trade ministries in

May 28, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Infiniti taps culture in marketing

Infiniti signed a global partnership with Cirque du Soleil, one of the world’s most famous modern circus troupes, and has been sponsoring its performances in Korea since 2010. / Courtesy of Infiniti KoreaBy Park Jin-haiInfiniti Korea had its best year in 2014 with sales growing 150 percent, elevating into a truly “modern luxury” brand here.Its success in large part stems from cultural marketing ― presenting its brand to customers through various creative activities.  The move was part of efforts to allow customers to experience its premium vehicles.Examples of its cultural marketing include the company sponsoring performances, exhibitions and fashion shows.In 2010, the company signed a global partnership with Cirque du Soleil, Canada’s famous modern circus troupe to become an official sponsor. It sponsored the troupe's performances "Quidam," "Alegria," and "Varekai."In July 2013, the firm sponsored the local stage performance of the "Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour," a commemoration by the troupe of the legendary pop singer.It also sponsored clas

May 28, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Mercedes to expand after-sales 'My Service'

Kia to sell cars in Mexican next month

Hanwha, Tesla team up

BMW courts young drivers with entry level 1-Series

POSCO to sell stake in construction unit to Saudi fund

Bosch values communication

Lotus aims to raise business profile

Hanwha to build 1.5GW solar plant in Jincheon

Audi dismisses mileage inflation announcement

Infiniti taps culture in marketing

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