Carmakers unveil latest models at Seoul Mobility Show

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Business

Wed, December 6, 2023 | 00:14

Companies

Carmakers unveil latest models at Seoul Mobility Show

Posted : 2023-03-30 16:30

Updated : 2023-03-30 18:07

Hyundai Motor's Sonata The Edge is unveiled for the first time at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show held in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

By Kim Hyun-bin

The 2030 Seoul Mobility Show, the country's largest mobility industry exhibition, will showcase 21 of the latest models from major carmakers to the public for the first time.

A press event was held Thursday, a day before the launch of the event, which will run through April 9 at Kintex Exhibition Center 1 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

Under the theme of Sustainable and Intelligent Mobility Revolution, the event is hosted by the Seoul Mobility Show Organizing Committee and sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Environment and the City of Goyang, with a total of 163 companies and organizations from 12 countries taking part.

Hyundai Motor unveiled for the first time the Sonata The Edge, a partially modified model of the 8th-generation Sonata, the company's representative mid-size sedan, and shared their vision for future mobility by demonstrating robots for charging electric vehicles and delivery.

Hyundai Motor Company organized a 2,600-square-meter exhibition hall consisting of eight themes: Sonata The Edge Zone, Mobility House, Kona Zone, Pavis Zone, Avante Zone, Casper Zone, N Zone and Kids Zone. A total of 13 vehicles, including the Sonata the Edge and the IONIQ 6, are exhibited.

"The Seoul Mobility Show pavilion was designed as a space to connect the present and the future, as well as a place to check and share the direction of Hyundai Motor," Jang Jae-hoon, CEO of Hyundai Motor, said during the press briefing.

In addition, the company demonstrated a large number of products developed by the Robotics Lab at the Mobility House, demonstrating its future strategic businesses.

There was a demonstration of the one-armed Electric Vehicle Automatic Charging Robot (ACR) that can pick up a super-fast charger and connect it to a vehicle charging port, eliminating the need for human labor. The delivery robot equipped with a total of four Plug and Drive (PnD) modules has the advantage of significantly reducing delivery time with LIDAR and camera sensor-based autonomous movement technology.

Kia's pure electric EV9 is unveiled at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Kia unveiled its EV9 to the public for the first time at the event, which is the second electrified model born from the company's EV-only E-GMP platform following the mid-sized electric SUV EV6 launched in 2021.

"EV9 is the first electric large SUV model in Korea equipped with both innovative technology and spatiality, and will provide a new driving experience that will completely change the concept and method of movement," said Karim Habib, vice president of the Global Design Center.

As all vehicles exhibited at the event, including the EV9, are EVs, a separate EV6 zone and the Niro Zone were established. In addition to the regular EV6 model, GT-line and GT models are all on display. In the Niro Zone, a total of three taxis and commercial vehicles, such as the new Niro EV and Niro Plus, are exhibited.

In addition, a digital showroom will be operated for the first time so that customers who have not been able to visit the mobility show can experience the Kia pavilion and EV9 online.

Mercedes-Benz's high-performance luxury roadster AMG SL is showcased at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Korea

Mercedes-Benz Korea introduced a total of 11 vehicles, five of which are unveiled for the first time in Korea including the Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-AMG, and Mercedes-EQ under the theme of "The Star is Reborn."

Mercedes-Benz Korea unveiled major new cars that are about to be officially released in Korea, including the high-performance AMG SL luxury roadster, electrified models and luxury limited-edition models, as Korean premieres.

BMW models exhibited at the 2023 Show Mobility Seoul held in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of BMW Korea

BMW Group Korea unveiled a total of 24 models on display including the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle BMW iX5 prototype and the BMW Motorrad R 18, marking the 100th anniversary of the model.

Under the theme of Drive Beyond the Future, BMW has launched a variety of pure EVs, including the BMW iX5 Hydrogen prototype, the new i7, a pure electric flagship sedan, the new iX1, the first small pure electric SAV and the i4 M50.

A total of 15 electrified models are exhibited, including ultra-high-performance vehicles such as the new XM, the first electrified model of BMW's M high-performance brand, and the new M3 Touring, a station wagon-type model.

hyunbin@koreatimes.co.kr