Ola Källenius, chair of Mercedes-Benz Group, said, "We plan to establish an Asia purchasing hub in Seoul in Jan. next year," and noted, "We intend to further flourish innovation and strengthen partnerships (together with Korea)."
On the 14th, at the "Mercedes-Benz future strategy briefing" held at "Studio Paradise" in Jung District, Incheon, Chair Källenius said, "Our strategic goal is to work with the best partners in each field to deliver a world-class experience," and stated accordingly.
Chair Källenius said, "While collaborating with Korean corporations, I realized that Korea's innovation ecosystem is extremely important to Mercedes-Benz," and explained, "It is hard to find a Mercedes-Benz vehicle without Korean technology onboard."
Accordingly, the "MP (materials purchasing) Asia" division will be established at Mercedes-Benz Korea. It is expected to handle materials purchasing across Asia, including Korea and Japan, excluding China. Chair Källenius added, "Collaboration with various Korean partners such as Samsung Electronics and LG began 25 years ago when the supply chain was first built," and "as this supply chain network has reached a mature stage, we are building a purchasing hub that is fully integrated with the German purchasing division so it can work closely for the Asian and Korean markets."
The previous day, Chair Källenius also met Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong and LG Electronics Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Cho Joo-wan and other LG Group executives to discuss cooperation plans for future mobility. Chair Källenius said, "The two corporations, Samsung Electronics and LG, have a broad technology portfolio and deep expertise in innovation," and added, "At this meeting, we discussed plans for three to four years out, and we may be able to reveal them on the next (visit to Korea)."
That day, Chair Källenius laid out a plan to introduce more than 40 new models—including battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and electrified internal-combustion models—to the Korean market by 2027. ▲ The All-New Electric GLC ▲ The All-New Electric CLA ▲ Concept AMG GT XX ▲ Vision V—four vehicles symbolizing the future product strategy—were also unveiled in person.