Mercedes-Benz Group Chairman Ola Kallenius (R, front) arrives at the headquarters of LG Group in Seoul on Nov. 13, 2025, to meet with executives of the South Korean business group’s affiliates to discuss a comprehensive partnership in automotive parts for advanced cars, including electric vehicles. (Yonhap)
INCHEON, Nov. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Mercedes-Benz Group AG plans to deepen its long-running technology and supply chain partnerships with leading South Korean companies, as the German automaker navigates evolving global supply chain dynamics, the company’s chief said Friday.
Ola Kallenius, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Mercedes-Benz, said during a media event in Incheon, west of Seoul, that cooperation with Korean business groups, such as Samsung Electronics and LG, has become essential for the automaker’s global strategy.
Kallenius held meetings with top executives of Samsung and LG in Seoul on Thursday to discuss cooperation in automotive parts for advanced cars.
“These companies are global champions in innovation and technology, and we use several of their technologies across the Mercedes-Benz lineup,” Kallenius said. “You will not find a Mercedes-Benz anywhere in the world without a piece of Korea in it.”
The CEO stressed Mercedes-Benz was looking forward to deepening these partnerships to seek more innovation “that can excite Mercedes customers.”
According to Kallenius, Mercedes-Benz hopes to establish a procurement team dedicated to South Korea and the broader Asian region, fully integrated with the automaker’s global procurement and engineering teams in Germany.
Kallenius said the outcome of the latest discussions with Samsung and LG, centered on advanced technologies and next-generation components, will be revealed over the next three to four years, while declining to share details of Thursday’s meetings with the Korean partners.
“We are looking at what is going to happen three or four years from now. Working with companies here in Korea, we find an innovation ecosystem that is incredibly valuable for us,” Kallenius said.
In addition, the Mercedes-Benz chief highlighted South Korea’s growing influence in digital services and consumer expectations, calling the market one of the world’s most demanding environments for in-car software, entertainment and navigation systems.
Amid growing geopolitical tensions and trade fragmentation, the CEO said the company will maintain a long-term approach to adjusting its manufacturing footprint, rather than reacting to short-term tariff or policy changes.
On electric vehicle (EV) battery partnerships, Kallenius said the automaker relies on a range of global suppliers, including China’s CATL, but reaffirmed its commitments to South Korean battery partner LG Energy Solution Ltd.
At the event, Mercedes-Benz announced a plan to launch more than 40 new vehicles in South Korea by 2027.
As part of the strategy, Mercedes-Benz Korea unveiled four models — the all-new electric GLC, the all-new electric CLA, the Concept AMG GT XX and the Vision V — for the South Korean market representing the brand’s future direction.
(Yonhap)
