It’s only three years old, but it’s apparently time for the Renault Koleos compact SUV to receive its first facelift. The changes include an exterior makeover and new interior trim, plus noticeable CO2 and fuel consumption savings in the case of the crossover model’s range of diesel powerplants.

The first thing you’ll notice on the updated model is the brand new fascia, evidently inspired by the newly launched Latitude sedan, which like the Koleos, is the product of Renault Samsung Motors in Busan, South Korea.

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Argentina’s exports for imports saga continues, with South Korean carmaker Hyundai agreeing to export peanuts, wine, biodiesel and soy flour to offset the US$91 million (€64 million) it added to Argentina’s growing trade deficit in 2010. Partner company / subsidiary Kia has agreed export white goods and plastics for their contribution.

The South American nation’s US$6 billion (€4.19 billion) trade deficit has already led to one Porsche distributor agreeing to export wine and olive products, while similar deals have been struck with carmakers Chery, GM, Peugeot-Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Fiat and Ford.

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The Renault-Nissan alliance’s South Korean subsidiary Samsung has presented the production version of its SM7 sedan model, which was displayed as a thinly disguised concept car at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show this past April.

Putting aside some minor details such as the lower parts of the front and rear bumpers, and the less extravagant choice of alloy wheels, nothing else has changed from the concept model.

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In the realm of U.S. automotive sales, 8% is a magic number. When an automaker hits 8%, they know they’ve become one of the big guns. Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Dodge and Nissan have all made it, and 2011 is expected to be Hyundai’s year.

So sayeth market research firm Polk, and I’m tempted to agree. Hyundai and its partner-brand / internal rival Kia have steadily been evolving into truly world-class carmakers. They’re keenly priced, inoffensive to look at and comprehensively covered quality-wise – everything the vast majority of new car buyers want in this day and age.

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General Motors is quite serious about selling its upcoming 2013 Chevrolet Malibu on a global scale. So serious, in fact, that the Detroit automaker is making plans to built the mid-size model on several continents. Today, GM revealed that will build and sell the redesigned Malibu sedan in Korea. We’ll remind you that earlier this year, GM Korea announced it is replacing the Daewoo nameplate with the Chevrolet brand for the local market. Read more »

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After last month's teaser sketch, Renault's Korean subsidiary Samsung unveiled the SM7 Concept at the Seoul Motor Show. In essence, it’s a pre-production design study that previews the next generation of Renault Samsung's flagship model, the SM7.

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GM's Korean subsidiary lifted the wraps off the Mi-ray hybrid roadster concept at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show today, as a tribute to Chevrolet's 100th anniversary this year. The aggressive-looking Mi-ray (which means “future” in Korean) was developed by the GM Advanced Design Studio in Seoul and pays homage to the bow-tie brand's sports car heritage.

The roadster uses styling cues from Chevy's 1963 Monza SS and the 1962 Corvair Super Spyder, but also from aircrafts, with its aerodynamic fuselage being reminiscent of modern jet fighters. Elements like the scissor-doors, the pronounced wheel-arches and the sharp front bumper add further drama to the Mi-ray's appearance.

The car's bodywork is made of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastics, while the turbine-shaped wheels (20-inch front/21-inch rear) are made of aluminum-carbon fiber composite.

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Making its world premiere today at the at the Seoul Motor Show, is Kia’s Naimo electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV), a B-segment sized concept car that will serve as a test-bed for the company's EV technology. Penned by Kia's international design team in Seoul, the car takes its name from the Korean word “Ne-mo”, which is pronounced ‘Neh-mo’ and means ‘square shape.

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The 2011 Seoul Motor Show that runs in South Korea from March 31 to April 10 plays host to the world premiere of the all-new Hyundai Blue2 concept study. The name ‘Blue2’, which is read ‘Blue square’, is a combination of Hyundai’s sub eco-brand ‘Blue Drive’ and the number `2’ from H2, the symbol for hydrogen gas.

Codenamed HND-6, the prototype is Hyundai’s first sedan-style Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). The four-door saloon is powered by a fuel cell electric system that delivers a stack power of 90kW or 121HP and fuel economy of 34.9km/ℓ (of hydrogen, of course), which is equal to 82mpg US and 2.9lt/100km. The concept is also equipped with low-resistance tires and alloy wheels which are designed to improve aerodynamic performance.

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Renault's South Korean brand Samsung released a teaser sketch of the SM7 concept car that previews the next-generation of the firm’s large sedan. The current SM7, which is built on Nissan’s J31 platform that underpins the Asian market Nissan Teana and the sixth-generation of the North American Nissan Maxima, has been on the market since 2004. Read more »

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It appears that the Soul is the next vehicle in Kia’s list to receive an update. Caught here in testing in Germany by our spy photographers, the bagged-up ends do their job to hide the Soul’s stylistic upgrades with the only visible change being the redesigned exterior mirrors that house the turning lights.

However, it is expected that the Soul will take some cues from the new Picanto and Rio hatchbacks (both of which were revealed at the Geneva Motor Show) such as the pulled back headlamps and more pronounced bumpers. An interior rework may also be in the cards.

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Kia's product assault continues with the presentation of the all-new Rio subcompact, which will receive its world premiere together with the new Picanto at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March.

The latest car to be revealed by Kia boasts a far slicker exterior design than the current Rio bringing it in line with the rest of South Korean company's passenger model range. There are no photos of the interior, but Kia says its newcomer "will deliver a high level of quality previously associated with larger models" along with a wider selection of trim options.

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If you enjoyed Phil's video of the RC drifters from the recent Tokyo Auto Salo, then you're in for a really special treat with this 4 minute-long clip shot at the 2010 Korea RC Street Drift Challenge. By far this is the most amazing RC drift setup that we have ever seen. Just follow the jump and you'll see what we mean.

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Hyundai continues its juggernaut-like growth breaking one record after the other. In 2010, the South Korean carmaker not only replaced Toyota as Europe’s best-selling Asian brand and passed the 500,000 sales mark in the US for the first time since entering the market in 1986, but the company also posted record sales and impressive profits.

Not including affiliate Kia Motor's results, Hyundai alone recorded global sales of 3,612,487 units (domestic plants: 1,730,682, overseas plants: 1,881,805) in 2010, which represents a 16.3 percent increase from a year earlier.

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As pointed out by a Carscoop reader in a previous post, Kia has released images of the domestic market version of its Picanto city car, which will be sold as the Morning in South Korea. From the looks of it, there won't be any notable differences between the local and European market specification Picanto, which will receive its world premiere at the Geneva Salon in the beginning of March. You can read our previous post for more details including the powertrain options here. For the high resolution image gallery and the official brochure of the KDM Morning, follow the jump below.

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What started a few years back with the re-branding of Daewoo's portfolio to Chevrolets in select markets including Europe, is now being rolled out globally with the replacement of the nameplate in South Korea. From now on, all of the company’s new product introductions will be under the Chevrolet badge, while GM Daewoo Auto & Technology will change its company name to GM Korea Co. The Detroit automaker said the name change is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter this year. Read more »

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Hyundai has been advertising the all-new generation of its Grandeur for quite some time now, but today, the automaker officially launched the large sedan in its home market. The new Grandeur, which will be badged as the 2012 Azera in the States, arrives in the Korean market six years after its predecessor’s launch in May 2005.

Codenamed HG, the 2012 Grandeur is result of three-and-a-half years and 450 billion won (about US$415 million) of research, development and testing. Positioned between the Sonata and the Genesis sedan, the new Grandeur measures 4,910mm (193.3") long, 1,860mm (73.2") wide and 1,470mm (57.9") tall. It rides on a 2,845mm-long (112") wheelbase, which is 65mm (2.6") longer than the outgoing model.

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For the Hyundai Motor Group and its affiliate Kia Motors, the New Year brings a new sales target as the South Korea's largest automaker said on Monday it aims to sell 6.33 million cars in 2011, which represents a 10 percent increase over 2010 when the company sold a combined total of 5.75 million units. More specifically, Hyundai delivered 3.6 million cars (up 16 percent from 2009), while sold Kia 2.1 million vehicles (+40 percent over 2009) worldwide last year.

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Hyundai is banking on the latest film technologies to promote its new Azera sedan, at least on its home turf. The automaker released a new advertisement for the mid-size saloon, which is named Grandeur in its home market, in select 4-D and 3-D movie theaters in South Korea. Read more »

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The King Saud University (KSU) on Sunday announced a $500 million deal with South Korea's Digm Automotive Technology to set up Saudi Arabia's first car manufacturing company. The Saudi university recently made headlines with the Mercedes G-Class-based 'Gazal 1' (pictured above) after announcing that the SUV is heading for production.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the university's investment arm, Wadi al-Riyadh Technology, will contribute 10 to 15 per cent of the financing for the new venture, with the South Korean firm providing 30 per cent, while the rest will be covered by investors.

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