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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

Hyundai and Turin IED collaborate on Kite buggy concept for Geneva

The last time Hyundai's European Design Center collaborated with Turin, Italy's Instituto Europeo di Design (IED), we got the PassoCorto concept in 2014. That four-year-old vision made an appearance in recent news feeds, as a potential harbinger of a mid-engine Hyundai sports car when the Theta II engine arrives. The Korean carmaker is at it again with IED, and this time the two have worked up a doorles, roofless, windowless buggy referred to as the Kite concept, planned for display at next month's Geneva Motor Show. The full-sized scale model measures 12.2 feet long, 7.3 feet wide, and 4.7 feet high — that's about four inches shorter and one inch taller than a Mini Cooper, but 20 inches wider. Being a model, the Kite won't be fitted with any powertrain, but the students behind the project envision one brushless electric motor on propulsion duty. This is the first of IED's previous 14 automaker collaborations to have an interior, so the 15 students from nine countries who worked on the project did their homework, tapping Gruppo Sila for the shift-by-wire gearbox, and Sabelt for the seat and seatbelts. Guests to the stand will be able to experience the Kite concept through virtual reality, while the whiz-bang gearbox gets shown in a separate, dedicated area. The design school's annual project serves as the thesis project for the Masters in Transportation Design program. Last year's offering, the Scilla concept prepared with Pininfarina, was a 180-degree departure from the Kite, but the students spent time off-road recently with their McLaren crossover concepts of 2010. If you're smitten with this year's product, you won't be able to buy it, but Hyundai does sell an actual kite. Related Video: Featured Gallery Hyundai Kite Concept News Source: Car Body Design via Carscoops Design/Style Green Geneva Motor Show Hyundai Concept Cars Electric Off-Road Vehicles 2018 Geneva Motor Show

Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell gets massive 43% price cut in South Korea

Hyundai is soldiering on with its fuel-cell-powered Tucson, ordering an enormous cut in the zero-emission CUV's price in the company's home market. The 43-percent reduction, when combined with subsidies from the South Korean government, brings the cost of entry to a still-lofty $54,000, Ward's reports. While that's undeniably a lot of money, we need to explain just how wildly expensive the Tucson FCV was in the first place. Hyundai trimmed a total of $67,000 from the $144,000 starting price. Even with some very significant – and not unusual – subsidies, the fuel-cell model still cost $86,000. Considering where things started from, $54K seems like a relative bargain. Beyond South Korea, Hyundai is expected to announce some sort of price cut in Europe, where the Tucson is marketed as the ix35 FCV, but it's unclear at this point if the Euro model's price tag will get such a dramatic reduction. We haven't heard of any changes to the cost of the lease-only North American-market Tucson FCV, which is currently available in California for $499 per month with $2,999 down. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell View 29 Photos News Source: Ward's Auto Green Hyundai Alternative Fuels Crossover Hydrogen Cars hyundai tucson fcv hyundai ix35