Day: May 1, 2022

SEOUL– Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s biggest carmaker, said Sunday it received more than 1,500 orders for its all-electric IONIQ 5 in Indonesia, less than a week after releasing the prices.

Hyundai Motor received 1,587 orders for the IONIQ 5 in Indonesia from April 22-27, more than doubling overall electric vehicle sales in the Southeast Asian country last year, the company said in a statement.

For all of 2021, carmakers operating in Indonesia sold a total of 693 EVs in the country, with Hyundai’s IONIQ Electric and Kona Electric models accounting for 87 percent, or 605 units, Hyundai said, citing data from Indonesia’s automotive industry association.

The company unveiled the IONIQ 5 at the Indonesia International Motor Show held from March 31 to April 10 before receiving the orders.

The pure electric crossover is available for between 718 million and 829 million rupiah (US$49,600-57,300) in Indonesia.

The Indonesian automobile market has long been dominated by Japanese carmakers which currently claim a whopping 95 percent stake in the market.

To change the market landscape, Hyundai has focused on promoting its all-electric models.

Last month, Hyundai said it will produce the IONIQ 5 in Indonesia. It completed a 150,000 unit-a-year plant in the Deltamas industrial complex near Cikarang, 40 kilometers east of Jakarta, in December.

IONIQ 5 is equipped with Hyundai Motor Group’s EV-only electric-global modular platform (E-GMP) at its Indonesian plant for local sales.

Hyundai’s other E-GMP models include the IONIQ 6 sedan and IONIQ 7 SUV set to be released this year and in 2024, respectively.

The Indonesian plant is already producing the compact Creta SUV, a strategic model for the region, and is expected to churn out the Santa Fe SUV in the first half and a small multi-purpose vehicle in the second half, Hyundai said.

Most of the vehicles to be produced in the plant will be sold in Indonesia and exported to Association of Southeast Asian Nations markets, it said.

Hyundai said it plans to invest 1.92 trillion won in the plant and increase its output capacity to 250,000 units.

The maker of the Sonata sedan and the Santa Fe SUV said it will help the Indonesian government in its plans to convert 130,000 units of public vehicles to electric ones by 2030.

“I hope that this IONIQ 5 from Hyundai will become an important milestone in the development of Indonesia’s electric vehicle ecosystem, and further accelerate the electric car ecosystem that is more advanced,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in the plant’s inauguration ceremony in Cikarang on March 16.

Hyundai is also working with LG Energy Solution Ltd., South Korea’s leading car battery maker, to build a battery cell factory in Karawang, Indonesia, with a target to start production in 2024.

It has seven domestic plants — five in Ulsan, one in Asan and one in Jeonju — and 11 overseas plants — four in China and one each in the United States, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Russia, India, Brazil and Indonesia. Their combined capacity reaches 5.65 million vehicles.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL– China’s top nuclear envoy on Sunday arrived in Seoul for talks with his South Korean counterpart, amid lingering tensions caused by North Korean missile launches and hardening rhetoric.

Liu Xiaoming, special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, told reporters that he will meet officials of the incumbent and incoming Korean governments to discuss “political solutions” for Korean peninsula issues.

Touching on pending issues related to North Korea, the envoy said that said that it’s up to the U.S and North Korea to resolve issues on the Korean Peninsula, not China.

Asked about his stance about the North’s nuclear threats, he said, “Although we are in support of denuclearization (of the peninsula), I believe each country’s security should also be taken into consideration. (We will discuss) not only the phenomena that has emerged outwardly, but also their root causes.”

The root cause of the hostility between the U.S. and North Korea is distrust running deep between them, and to resolve the distrust, they need to have meaningful and sincere dialogue, Liu said.

“We object to any hostile act which will escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula. We hope we will find ways to lower tensions in Korean peninsula issues through consultations with the South,” he said.

Liu will hold talks with Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, on Tuesday to share their assessments on the recent grave security situation on the peninsula and discuss ways to cooperate for the stable management of the situation.

He is also expected to meet with senior officials from the foreign affairs and unification ministries, as well as the National Security Council.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

AKP Phnom Penh, May 01, 2022 –Cambodian Prime Minister highlighted major achievements in labour sector and urged workers to get resilient to seize new opportunities during the post-pandemic.

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen made the note in his public message to cheer the 136th International Labour Day themed Peace, Health and Job Security which falls today, May 1.

As part of the effort to push an effective rollout of the Cambodia Industrial Development Policy on the ground, Samdech Techo has visited nearly one million workers from 2017 to 2019, wherein key emerging issues were identified and addressed for workers’ benefits.

The Royal Government has continued to promote the rights and freedom of professional organisations, and as of 2021, a total of 5,746 of them in charge of different levels and scope of works have been registered and legalised.

While providing soft-skill improvement, up-skilling and re-skilling, the Government has secured sending 1,301,609 Cambodian workers for overseas employment.

Better social security schemes have also been introduced focusing on retirement pension, health care, occupational risks and unemployment, and other health and security measures taken to improve workers’ condition.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Samdech Techo Prime Minister continued, the Royal Government has worked hard to maintain the existing jobs and created the new ones, as a result, the fallout of the pandemic on jobs in Cambodia is manageable.

To support the vulnerable groups affected by the COVID-19, the Government has put forward 10 rounds of response measures worth over US$28 million benefiting 347,844 workers in the hard-hit sectors.

Toward the recovery, the Government is focusing on further reform to attract and diversify investment as well as create job opportunities, including the launch of the Cambodia Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods (GFT) Sector Development Strategy 2022-2027.

Samdech Techo ended his message with the appeal to all workers and employers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 so as to seize new opportunities and join hands with the government for a sustainable growth.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press