Ola Källenius, the chairman of Mercedes-Benz, is visiting Korea and will hold a series of meetings with leading figures in the domestic business community, including heads of major affiliates of LG Group.
According to the industry on the 12th, Källenius is said to be meeting with chief executive officers (CEOs) of major affiliates within LG Group on the afternoon of the 13th at LG Twin Towers in Yeouido, Seoul. The meeting will reportedly be attended by Cho Joo-wan, CEO of LG Electronics, Kim Dong-myung, CEO of LG Energy Solution, Jeong Chul-dong, CEO of LG Display, and Moon Hyuk-soo, CEO of LG Innotek.
They are expected to discuss concrete cooperation in the SDV (software-defined vehicle) field, including the supply of key automotive components such as batteries, displays, and sensors.
Källenius also met with CEOs of major affiliates of LG Group at a "private tech day" held in Germany in Mar. last year. At the time, Källenius said on social media (SNS), "After wrapping up this meeting with LG, my expectations for the future have grown even bigger," and "Mercedes-Benz's goal is to provide customers with an exceptional digital product experience, and I am confident that with our strong partner LG, we will raise the bar again with next-generation products."
In addition, Källenius is said to be meeting with Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics. Choi Joo-sun, president of Samsung SDI, and Lee Chung, president of Samsung Display, are expected to join to discuss the automotive electronics business. The two companies are already cooperating on in-vehicle infotainment systems and digital keys, and their cooperation could expand to semiconductors, batteries, and displays.
A possible meeting with Cho Hyun-sang, vice chairman and CEO of HS Hyosung, is also being discussed. HS Hyosung The Class, one of HS Hyosung's affiliates, is an official dealer of Mercedes-Benz.
Meanwhile, Källenius is scheduled to take part in the "Future Strategy Conference" on the 14th at Paradise City in Incheon and announce Mercedes-Benz's strategy for the Korean market.