This photo provided by Mercedes-Benz Korea shows an online press conference on the company’s business plans this year on Jan. 27, 2021.
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Mercedes-Benz Korea said Wednesday it will launch two additional all-electric models this year to gain a share in the burgeoning local EV market.
The German carmaker plans to roll out the new EQA and the new EQS in the Korean market in the first and second half, respectively. In 2019, it launched the EQC 400 4MATIC SUV, its first pure electric model, for Korean customers.
Thomas Klein, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, said the company will expand local EQ service centers and continue to make investments in charging facilities for EQ models.
He said the company will “make meaningful and good offers for Korean customers” who purchase the EQ models when it comes to prices despite the lack of government subsidies.
Government subsidies are banned for an expensive all-electric car priced at over 90 million won (US$81,000) starting in January this year.
Mercedes-Benz Korea topped the local imported car market in 2020 for the fifth straight year, helped by Korean customers’ growing appetite for high-end and environment friendly cars.
The company sold a total of 76,879 vehicles last year, down 1.6 percent from 78,133 units a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.
This file photo, provided by Mercedes-Benz Korea and taken on Oct. 13, 2020, shows the upgraded E-Class sedan.
To cement its leading status here, it will launch seven full-change models, including the flagship S-Class sedan and the two EQ models, and two face-lift models that include the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe this year.
In efforts to woo customers, Mercedes-Benz plans to open Korea’s first and the world’s seventh AMG Brand Center, which allows visitors to experience the high-performance brand Mercedes-AMG, this year.
The company said it will also strengthen its digital sales platform that helps customers purchase its vehicle as well as receive after-sales services.
For the whole of 2020, imported carmakers sold 274,859 autos, up 12 percent from 244,780 a year ago on strong demand for German models. Seven out of 10 imported vehicles sold in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy last year were from Germany.
German brands — Audi-Volkswagen Korea, BMW Group Korea and Mercedes-Benz Korea — sold 186,179 units, up 27 percent from 146,968 during the same period.
(Yonhap)
