This file photo provided by Mercedes-Benz shows the Concept Mercedes-Maybach EQS, the first electric model of its luxury Maybach brand.
SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Mercedes-Benz Korea said Tuesday it will continue to beef up its electric vehicle lineup in South Korea to meet changing customer demands and follow the automobile industry trends.
The German carmaker plans to launch four all-new and two facelifted models in Korea, its fifth-biggest passenger vehicle market, this year, Thomas Klein, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, said in an online press conference.
“We are further improving our position in electrification and digitalization,” he said.
The four models are the new C-Class sedan, the new EQE electrified sedan, the new EQB electric SUV and the new Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ sedan, all under the carmaker’s all-electric brand Mercedes-EQ.
The two upgraded models are the CLS four-door coupe and the Mercedes-AMG GT-4 four-door coupe.
In its electrification push, Mercedes-Benz launched the new EQA SUV and the new EQS sedan in Korea in 2021, following the launch of its first pure electric model, the EQC 400 4MATIC SUV, in 2019.
On Tuesday, the company unveiled the Concept Mercedes-Maybach EQS, the first electric model of the luxury Maybach brand. It does not have a plan to launch the model here this year.
Mercedes-Benz Korea topped the local imported car market in 2021 for the sixth straight year on growing local demand for high-end and environment friendly cars.
The company sold 76,152 vehicles last year, down 0.9 percent from 76,879 units a year ago, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association.
In efforts to woo customers, Mercedes-Benz opened Korea’s first and the world’s seventh AMG Brand Center, which allows visitors to experience the high-performance brand Mercedes-AMG, last year.
The company said it will also strengthen its digital sales platform that helps customers purchase its vehicles, as well as receive after-sales services.
For the whole of 2022, Mercedes-Benz Korea’s vehicle sales fell 0.9 percent to 76,152 autos from 76,879 units a year ago due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and semiconductor shortages.
Foreign carmakers sold 276,146 autos in Korea last year, up 0.5 percent from 274,859 a year ago. Seven out of 10 imported vehicles sold in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy last year were from Germany, KAIDA said.
German brands — Audi-Volkswagen Korea, BMW Group Korea and Mercedes-Benz Korea — sold 190,231 units, up 2.2 percent from 186,179 during the same period.
(Yonhap)
