Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun shakes hands with LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo at LG Chem’s battery plant in Ochang, Chungcheongbuk-do, on June 22.

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo held a one-on-one meeting at LG Chem’s battery plant in Ochang, Chungcheongbuk-do, on June 22, where they discussed an electric vehicle alliance.

That alliance was forged by Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo and the late chairman Koo Bon-moo of LG Group.

The gathering followed Executive Vice Chairman Chung’s meeting with Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman on May 13, in which they discussed ways of collaboration in the battery sector.

As Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung is expected to meet with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, attention is focused on the formation of “Team Korea” that will serve as a “big tent” in the global EV market.

Executive Vice Chairman Chung was accompanied by Albert Biermann, president in charge of R&D, Kim Geol, president in charge of planning coordination, Seo Bo-shin, president in charge of products, and President Park Chung-kook of Hyundai Mobis while touring LG Chem’s Ochang plant.

LG Chairman Koo was escorted by LG Corp. Vice Chairman Kwon Young-soo, LG Chem Vice Chairman Shin Hak-cheol, President Kim Jong-hyun of LG Chem’s battery business, and President Kim Myung-hwan of the LG Chem Battery Research Institute.

Executive Vice Chairman Chung looked at next-generation batteries such as long-life batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries and solid-state batteries that are under development by LG Chem as well as the production line of the Ochang plant, one of LG Chem’s representative battery centers. In a related development, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors sold more than 100,000 EVs across the world last year for the first time.

Hyundai Motor Group aims to produce more than 1 million EV units in cooperation with Korean battery makers such as LG Chem, SK Innovation and Samsung SDI.

The group has a vision of taking on Volkswagen of Germany as the No. 1 global EV maker after catching up with Tesla Motors of the United States. Statistics on EV sales vary according to each survey.

The U.S. journal InsideEVs reported that Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors sold a combined 126,436 EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV).

The figure is slightly behind BMW of Germany. Out of the total, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors sold 72,959 units and 53,477 units, respectively. Tesla of the United States topped the global EV market with 367,820 unit sales, followed by BYD of China with 229,506 units.

An aerial view of LG Chem’s plant in Ochang, Chungcheongbuk-do. (Photos: Hyundai Motor Group & LG Chem)

Hyundai Motor Labor & Management Join Forces in Quality Innovation to Overcome COVID-19

Labor and management of Hyundai Motor rolled up their sleeves to put into practice customer-oriented quality innovation.

Both sides of the automaker announced a joint declaration to ensure quality innovation at a seminar on June 24.

They agreed to overcome a crisis, caused by the spread of COVID-19, by securing seamless quality to meet customers’ satisfaction and maximizing production corresponding to market demand.

The reason for Labor and management’s declaring a joint statement to ramp quality is that both sides have shared the view that more stringent quality standards and their joint efforts to secure top quality are required to meet customers’ higher demands.