Kia PV5 Captures 92% of the PBV Market, Far Outpacing Hyundai ST1

Kia's PV5 has significantly outsold Hyundai Motor's ST1 in South Korea's purpose built vehicle market. Competitive pricing that reduces the initial purchase burden, combined with strong driving efficiency, has helped the PV5 demonstrate strong competitiveness in the PBV market.

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Middle East-Driven Raw Material Price Shock Hits the Specialty Vehicle Industry

As prices of key raw materials, including steel and aluminum, have surged amid disruptions to the global supply chain caused by the prolonged conflict in the Middle East, the specialty vehicle industry, which uses these materials in large volumes, is also feeling the impact. With their large vehicle bodies and greater dependence on raw materials than passenger cars, specialty vehicles are directly exposed to fluctuations in material prices. However, industry officials say there is "no immediate solution" to the problem.

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Three Years After Diesel's Exit, The Reality and Limitations of LPG Trucks as an Eco-Friendly Alt..

It has been three years since LPG powertrains were introduced to South Korea's 1-ton truck market, which had long been dominated by diesel vehicles. After the government enforced the Special Act on the Improvement of Air Quality in Air Control Zones in 2023, banning the sale of new diesel-powered 1-ton trucks, Hyundai Motor and Kia have been offering LPG models as alternatives.

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Truck Safety Freight Rates... Direct Contractors Smile, Owner-Operators Suffer

The Truck Safety Freight Rate System, reintroduced in February this year after industry-wide debate following the expiration of its sunset clause at the end of 2022, has now entered its fourth month of full implementation. While the system's original objectives—preventing driver fatigue, speeding and overloading through guaranteed fair freight rates, and improving road safety—are once again being put into practice, the first four months since its reintroduction have revealed a widening gap in how owner-drivers experience the policy, with sharply contrasting outcomes depending on their contract arrangements.

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“We Keep Driving Even When There’s Nothing Left to Earn”... Charter Bus Drivers Struggle wit..

As diesel prices have shown little sign of easing in the wake of the U.S. (Israel)-Iran conflict in the Middle East, the financial burden on South Korea's charter bus industry, which operates medium- and long-distance routes, continues to grow. Simply put, the more they drive, the more they lose, and they have no choice but to stay behind the wheel even when there is no profit left from the fare.

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3 Million Kilometers with the Mercedes-Benz Actros

In 2009, a 30-year-old man held the keys to his first truck bearing his own name. It was an Actros delivered two years after Daimler Trucks Korea, now StarTruckKorea, officially launched in South Korea. That truck has now traveled 3.09 million kilometers. The same cargo, the same driver. Kim Rae-hyung (47), the owner, and his Actros MP2 have relied on each other, traveling together for the past 17 years.

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Electric Commercial Vehicle Subsidy Threshold Lowered from 80 to 60 Points

South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment revised and finalized the Evaluation Criteria for the Selection of Electric Commercial Vehicle Subsidy Program Operators on May 13. Following industry backlash and allegations that the criteria favored certain manufacturers after the original guidelines were announced in March, the ministry lowered the minimum qualifying score from 80 to 60 points and made partial revisions to the detailed evaluation criteria.Read more, Click here

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When the Wheels Stop, So Does the Money... Mercedes-Benz Unveils Its Answer with a New Dump Truck

StarTruckKorea, the official importer of Mercedes-Benz Trucks in South Korea, unveiled the New Arocs 4153K Single Reduction Tipper, a new 25.5-ton dump truck optimized for the country's demanding heavy-duty operating conditions, at the Mercedes-Benz Truck Star Center in Asan, South Chungcheong Province on the 10th, officially launching sales.Read more, Click here

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Q1 Truck Market Down 20%… Only 15-Ton Dump Trucks Show Resilience

According to statistics from the Carisyou Data Research Institute, which processes commercial vehicle registration data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and provides it exclusively to this publication, a total of 5,050 medium-duty or larger trucks (including cargo and special-purpose vehicles with a payload capacity of 2 tons or more, tractor units, 15-ton and 25.5-ton-or-larger dump trucks, and mixer trucks) were newly registered in South Korea in the first quarter of this year. This represents a 20.7% decrease from 6,370 units recorded in the same period last year.Read more, Click here

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Isuzu 5-Ton Forward Targets Urban Special-Purpose Vehicle Market with Basement-Access Compactor Ga..

Curo Motors, the official distributor of ISUZU trucks in South Korea, has partnered with specialized vehicle manufacturer Youil Special Vehicle to develop a compactor garbage truck based on the 5-ton medium-duty Isuzu Forward model and has begun full-scale supply.Read more, Click here

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