Seoul Motor Show to focus on EVs

The Seoul Motor Show will host 20 automakers including Tesla later this month, banking on eco-friendly vehicles and new mobility technology to keep consumers interested.

The organizing committee for the country’s largest motor show said Monday it will hold the biennial event from March 29 until April 7 at the Kintex convention center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, this year under the theme of “Sustainable, Connected, Mobility” during a press event at the Plaza Hotel in central Seoul.

Among the 20 automakers taking part in this year’s trade show, Tesla joins the list for the first time as the event looks to eco-friendly vehicles and technology amid dwindling interest in recent years.

“While the auto industry’s growth rate fell to the 1 percent range last year … eco-friendly vehicles displayed explosive growth at 26 percent,” explained Jeong Marn-ki, chair of the trade show’s organizing committee and the president of the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.

“In this respect, this year’s Seoul Motor Show looks for a change from the years of accumulated experience.”

“The Seoul Motor Show this year might be smaller in size, but it will improve in terms of quality,” Jeong added.

The committee said it had around 180 companies confirmed to take part in this year’s show as of Feb. 28 compared to the 194 that participated in the previous show in 2017. Brands such as Cadillac, Infiniti, Lincoln, Man and Mercedes-AMG will be noticeably absent this year.

Under the new slogan, seven electric vehicle (EV) brands will be showcased and 19 eco-friendly vehicles will be available for test drives including Hyundai Motor’s Kona EV, Ioniq EV and Nissan’s Leaf.

Around 100 vehicles in total will be featured at this year’s motor show, including 22 new ones. Two vehicles will be unveiled for the first time globally, while ten will be the first in Asia. Others will be on display for the first time in Korea.

BY CHAE YUN-HWAN [chae.yunhwan@joongang.co.kr]