Korea

On April 11, Kia confirmed the name of its first-ever pickup truck, the Kia Tasman. The company plans to introduce the vehicle in 2025, with a phased global launch strategy, including Korea, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. The phased launch strategy aims to cater to the demands and preferences of each region. 

The all-new Tasman represents Kia’s first step into the global C-segment pickup truck market and is inspired by the beauty of Tasmania, the islands in Australia. The vehicle is poised to gain popularity as a volume model in Australia and other markets, solidifying Kia's position in the development of multifunctional outdoor vehicles.

Based on Hyundai Motor press release

South Korea’s LG Innotek Co., Ltd. developed LiDAR for advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), which can detect objects up to 250 meters away using short-wavelength infrared.

In particular, this new LiDAR has three times the detection performance in bad weather compared to existing products. For example, in a fog with a visibility distance of 2 meters, conventional products can only detect the movement of up to 15m away. In contrast, the company's new product can accurately detect the movement of a person 45m away.

Also, in fog with a visibility distance of 2 meters, an autonomous driving vehicle with conventional LiDAR products can drive up to 50km/h, while an autonomous driving car with LG Innotek’s LiDAR can drive at 90km/h at the maximum.

Furthermore, the new LiDAR achieves uniformly high resolution at all viewing angles rather than at a specific angle and increases the data collected through the sensors by up to 10 times compared to previous products. This means it can clearly detect objects with low reflectance, such as tires and pedestrians in black outfits. (From a press release on April 7, 2024)

Hyundai Mobis Ltd. announced that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric vehicle (EV) adopted Hyundai Mobis’ ultra-slim intelligent card key.

This latest smart card key features the ability to support all the functions of traditional smart keys. A conventional smart card key that uses near-field communication (NFC) technologies works only when it is taken out of a pocket and given direct contact with the vehicle’s door. Also, its functions are limited to locking/unlocking doors and starting the engine.

Meanwhile, this latest smart key will work even when it is still in a wallet or a pocket. It also supports various operations, including locking and unlocking doors, remote engine start, remote parking assistance, and trunk opening. It is incredibly slim and light for enhanced portability and convenience.

Hyundai Mobis plans to expand the application of ultra-slim smart car keys to other vehicle models in South Korea. (From a press release on April 4, 2024)