“Every Mercedes-Benz vehicle in the world has a piece of Korea in it,” said Ola Källenius, chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz Group in an all-electric showcase meeting with local media at Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Aug. 24. “Korea is a very important market. I believe our cooperation with Korea will be even stronger in the future.”
The CEO also repeatedly emphasized his affection for the Korean market, introducing himself as K-Källenius.
This is not just because Korea is a market for expensive cars, but because the country is home to companies with cutting-edge technologies needed for Mercedes-Benz’s next electrification revolution, including batteries and electronics, he said. In fact, Källenius met with SK Group Senior Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won the day before, and LG Display Vice Chairman Kwon Bong-seok and LG Display CEO Chung Ho-young shortly after that meeting. They are key suppliers of batteries and displays for Mercedes-Benz’s electric vehicles.
Korea, a country known for its love of German cars, is one of Mercedes-Benz’s top four markets along with China, the United States, and Germany itself. Mercedes-Benz Korea posted sales of 7.5351 trillion won in 2022, up 23 percent year on year. It sold 80,976 units, the highest number in its 20 years in Korea, becoming the first imported car brand to break through the 80,000-unit annual sales milestone for a single brand. Sales of its top-of-the-line flagship S-Class grew by 13 percent.
Källenius also emphasized that Mercedes-Benz will create a high-powered charging (HPC) network in Korea by building HPC hubs around dealerships near major roads and in densely populated areas. Mercedes-Benz previously announced a plan to build more than 400 charging hubs across North America by 2027. “Through a comprehensive partnership with Korea, we will build a system that enables charging cars at public places and at home,” he said, emphasizing, “We will make charging progress happen in Korea.”