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Woman executive of South Korea's Hyundai Motor resigns amid #MeToo wave

SEOUL — A female executive of South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor has resigned after being accused of pressuring female subordinates to pour drinks for, and dance with, senior male members of staff, the Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday. The global #MeToo movement has accelerated in South Korea since January, spawning accusations of sexual misconduct and prosecution investigations of prominent figures. Fear of reprisal has made South Koreans traditionally wary of being whistleblowers over harassment at family-run conglomerates that dominate the economy, with open accusations of this type far outnumbered by anonymous posts on the subject. Yonhap, citing Hyundai Motor, said a female employee had made the accusation while preparing to leave the company, saying the woman executive had pressured her female subordinates to attend a drinking party with senior men and pour drinks. She also accused the executive of pressuring the women to dance with men at a karaoke session, and said the men were in positions that could influence the female executive's position in the corporation, Yonhap reported. In a statement, Hyundai Motor said media reports on the issue did not reflect its views and policies. "We will take appropriate actions on any irregularities or breaches by individuals within the company that do not ensure equality in the workplace," it said, declining further comment. Neither Hyundai Motor nor the news agency identified the executive. Hyundai Motor had three female executives among its total of 298 executives by the end of 2017, regulatory filings show. Reporting by Joyce Lee.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Hyundai resignation

2019 Hyundai Kona gets standard safety tech, as prices creep up

The 2019 Hyundai Kona is marking its second year on the market with a few upgrades to sweeten the funky subcompact crossover. The most significant change is the addition of new standard safety equipment. Every trim level from the base SE to the ultimate, well, Ultimate, get automatic emergency braking and collision warning, lane-departure assist and driver attention warning. All of these features were only available on the Ultimate trim level last year. There are a few other small changes here and there. Hyundai is eliminating the silver with black roof color option, but adding a new color called Sunset Orange. The 12-volt power outlet up front goes away on all models in favor of dual USB charging ports. The Infinity upgraded sound system and Hyundai BlueLink connectivity software are now available on the SEL with the SEL Tech Package. The sunroof is also only available as an option on the Ultimate trim, and is included with the SEL Tech Package. View 16 Photos And as is the way with new model years, especially when new equipment is added, prices have crept up a bit for all Kona trim levels. The SE increases by $490, SEL by $650, Limited by $900, and Ultimate by just $100. All-wheel-drive is $100 more expensive, too, at $1,400. The same goes for the SEL Tech Package, which now starts at $1,600. You can see all the prices for both model years below. Trim Level 2019 2018 SE $20,970 $20,480 SEL $22,780 $22,130 Limited $26,530 $25,680 Ultimate $28,480 $28,380 AWD option $1,400 $1,300 SEL Tech package $1,600 $1,500 Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: Hyundai, James Riswick Hyundai Crossover Hatchback hyundai kona

Less stressful than a taxi: We ride in Hyundai's Autonomous Ioniq Electric

The day after California told Uber to halt the testing of its driverless cars, Hyundai gave us a brief ride in an autonomous Ioniq Electric. The trip was mostly uneventful — our driver/engineer didn't hit anyone, and, unlike Uber's, Hyundai's car didn't run any red lights. You may think that's faint praise, but at the speed of advancement we take nothing for granted. More than once during our ride around a pre-mapped, all-right-turn route in Las Vegas, the Ioniq had to sort things out for itself, and the longer you ride the more you realize the scope of data we humans process without noticing. This Ioniq was identified only by its Korea-spec origins — dual charging ports for fast and regular recharge and no side marker lights — and Nevada's autonomous vehicle license plate. Tourists were completely unaware that it was driving itself. The autonomous Ioniq uses one 140-degree and two 110-degree Ibeo LiDAR units in the front fascia, plus a camera array inside the cabin at the top of the windshield. A single camera is used for traffic-light detection, with stereo units for the driving assistants. According to Hyundai, the autonomous gear detects objects knee-high but also will not drive into a low-hanging tree branch. We're also told the system works in rain and snow, citing the all-conditions approval certificate from Nevada, though that center front sensor looks prime for snow packing in heavy stuff. Essentially, one processor collects all the input data and combines it to a singular view, and a second processor tells the car what to do about it. Hyundai notes that minimal system power consumption was a primary target. The cabin sports the prototype-standard large red kill switch, an extra display atop the center of the dash, and two real-time monitors hanging behind the rear seats. The dash display is there so human drivers know the car is aware of its surroundings — it shows traffic lights as red or green (yellow is not detected but it will not panic stop if it loses a green light), speed limit, vehicle speed, route, a steering wheel to denote autonomous operation, and pedestrians detected. One rear monitor shows what the traffic-light camera sees, the other what the LiDAR units are picking up, from road curbs to people, vehicles and buildings. The ride experience is drama-free if a bit on the cautious side. Braking is often moderate to heavy, more on/off than the modulation range of many human drivers, but we felt no panic braking or ABS intervention.