Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
BMW vows to regain consumer trust in Korea
BMW Group Chief Marketing Officer Pieter Nota speaks during the brand's press conference at the Seoul Motor Show in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of BMW Korea
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province ― BMW Group Chief Marketing Officer Pieter Nota apologized for a series of fires which burnt more dozens of its diesel models last year in Korea and promised the group's enhanced commitment to the market and partner companies in the country, during the Seoul Motor Show on Thursday.
“We are truly sorry for the concern and inconvenience that some of our vehicles have recently caused,” Nota said during the brand's press conference at the show. “We are doing everything we can to make things right and cooperating closely with Korean authorities.”
The conference was BMW's first official event in Korea after BMW Korea Chairman Kim Hyo-joon apologized to the public in August last year after nearly 30 vehicles caught fire while being driven.
Since August, the group has been in the process of recalling more than 100,000 vehicles, mostly the 520d sedan, and has recalled more than 94 percent of that particular model as of last month to replace exhaust gas recirculation components, which have been identified as the cause of those fires.
“We are deeply committed to do everything we can to regain the trust of our customers in Korea,” Nota, a BMW Group board member, said.
Nota underscored that the group understands “how important the Korean market is” and has enhanced its commitment to the market and partner firms by expanding the group's purchasing from Korean suppliers by 55 percent last year.
He said the group is currently focusing on four strategic areas of automation, connectivity, electrification and services, and stressed Korean companies are playing key roles in connectivity and electrification, citing Samsung SDI is supplying batteries for the brand's electric vehicles and signed global contracts with two Korean telecom companies for 5G connectivity.
“Our commitment to this country runs deep and we will continue to invest and grow our local efforts,” Nota said. “We will intensify our cooperation with Korean companies, especially in the fields of e-mobility and automated driving, and strengthen our R&D activities in Korea.”
Marking its first official marketing event after last year's fire, the brand displayed 29 new models at the show, which include the new 3 Series compact sedan, the i Vision Dynamics, the concept M8 Gran Coupe, the M4 GT4, the classic Mini electric, the M2 Competition, the new X7 and the new Z4.
Of them, the i Vision Dynamics concept is a preview to the brand's new electric vehicle version of the i4. It covers 600 kilometers on a single charge and accelerates to 100 km/h in 4 seconds.
A model poses with the BMW i Vision Dynamics at the Seoul Motor Show in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of BMW Korea