KG Mobility to focus on quality over brand name as an EV market contender

KG Mobility will strengthen its mobility capability in an effort to become a stronger contender in the electronic vehicle (EV) market. The carmaker, previously known as SsangYong Motor, presented its plans during the “Vision Tech Day” event held...

KG Mobility Chairman Kwak Jea-sun speaks during the ″Vision Tech Day″ event held at Kintex, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday. [KG MOBILITY]

KG Mobility will strengthen its mobility capability in an effort to become a stronger contender in the electronic vehicle (EV) market.

The carmaker, previously known as SsangYong Motor, presented its plans to enlarge its presence in the automobile sector during the “Vision Tech Day” event held at Kintex, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday.

“We have to dig deep and dig wide into the global market with new technologies and bold attempts,” said KG Mobility Chairman Kwak Jea-sun, who faced reporters for the first time since the company had changed its name in the shareholders meeting on March 22. “There is room for KG Mobility to grow in every direction.”

Its advance in the global market doesn’t have to be under a KG Mobility tag, Kwak said. What’s more important for the company is to appeal to customers with quality products, because it has relatively weaker brand power than current market leaders such as Mercedes-Benz or Hyundai Motor.

KG Mobility will apply this quality-over-name strategy and pave new roads in global markets, especially in Africa and Latin America, where countries have smaller market sizes but offer various marketing opportunities customized for each country.

“We will keep doing what we do best — making SUVs,” KG Mobility managing director Jeong Jae-wook told reporters. The company aims to become one of the leading contenders in the modern automobile industry by developing first-rate car software, Jeong added.

It plans to sharpen its competitive edge with mobility technologies such as automation, software defined vehicles (SDVs), autonomous driving and cloud services.

KG Mobility introduced its new midsize automation SUV Torres EVX at the "Seoul Mobility Show 2023" that kicked off on March 30. It plans to additionally introduce its electric pickup truck O100, large electric SUV F100 and Compact SUV KR10 by 2025.

Torres EVX is the first homemade EV, equipped with cell-to-pack technology that lowers the chance of battery fire. The carmaker will implement the cell-to-body technology to improve space efficiency in future models.

KG Mobility also aims to introduce software-defined EVs by creating an integrated operating system that allows drivers to use the same operating system between models, like smartphones, and implemented with an over-the-air system that allows wireless software updates.

KG Mobility will take a two-step approach in developing hardware and software in cooperation with global original equipment manufacturers, company CEO Jeong Yong-won said.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]