- Some 250 thousand visitors to glimpse the sustainable future - About 100 mobile business entities from six nations to join the show - More than a half of all exhibits on display EV-related - Automated vehicles, robotics, UAM, and connected technologies to be introduce to the public
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Seoul Mobility Show 2021 (formerly the Seoul Motor Show) ended on December 5, ten days after highlighting a range of possibilities of the automobile industry involving self-driving electric vehicles.
Some 100 mobility-related business entities from six countries gathered at the Korea International Convention Center (Kintex) in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province for South Korea's biennial auto show. The main exhibitors include Kia, Genesis, Hyundai, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, BMW, Audi, Isuzu, Porsche, Hyundai Mobis, SK Telecom, and KAIST.
Due to COVID-19, the event was postponed twice and hosted on a much smaller scale than previous shows. Still, approximately 250,000 spectators paid a visit to see for themselves the wide array of future mobility technologies.
In October of this year, President Marn-ki Jeong the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) decided to change the name of the show. He said the organizing committee renamed the event to underscore the importance of carbon-neutrality along as well as to incorporate future mobility solutions.
Ten automakers participated in the show and electric vehicles in particular were dominant. Kia unveiled its fully revamped, "The all new KIA Niro" which is an all-electric and hybrid model. Meanwhile Genesis and Mercedes-Benz had on display only electric cars. In fact, eco-friendly vehicles occupied 51% of the exhibition space which is a huge jump from 34% in 2019.
Future technologies that were on view included Hyundai's advanced mobility technologies including its self-driving IONIQ 5 and an EV-exclusive platform known as E-GMP. Moreover, Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics presented a four-footed robot called Spot and two-bipedal robots. Volvo showcased its XC60 SUV embedded with SK Telecom's Nugu Auto, while KAIST introduced autonomous flying vehicles.
The organizing committee said it has plans to transform the show into an expo with state-of-the-art technologies and the Seoul Mobility Award was part of those efforts. The award was created to recognize innovative businesses in order to encourage more innovation in the industry. The first recipient of this new award was Hyundai Mobis for introducing its "e-corner module". The cutting-edge technology is considered to be an integral part of future vehicles that integrates steering, braking, suspension, and steering systems into each wheel.
"The automotive industry is in transitioning from the internal combustion engine and the electronic motor, and from human control and AI automation," Chairman Jeong said. "New mobility will lead us to drastic changes with technology is the initiator," he added. "The Seoul Mobility Show will serve as a platform and an industrial ecosystem in which business can collaborate with higher education institutions," he said.
The Seoul Mobility Show is a biannual international event and is the only automobile exhibition in Korea accredited by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers. The first show was held in 1995. (END)
Young Park(General Manager, Trade Promotion Division), +82-2-3660-1896, yp@kama.or.kr;
Youngseok Park(PR Manager), +82-2-2257-6392, kama@nprcom.co.kr
