Carmakers clash at Starfield Hanam

An artist’s rendering of Starfield Hanam. / Courtesy of Shinsegae

Hyundai, BMW, Tesla set to open showrooms in Korea’s largest shopping mall

By Lee Hyo-sik

Hyundai Motor, BMW and Tesla are set to open showrooms at Starfield Hanam shopping mall, southeast of Seoul, to make a pitch for their latest vehicles to tens of thousands of shoppers expected to crowd Korea’s largest shopping complex every day.

Hyundai Motor said Friday it will open two showrooms ― one for its premium luxury Genesis brand and the other for its i-Oniq electric and hybrid models ― at Starfield Hanam early next month. The planned Genesis and i-Oniq showrooms are the first of their kind.

Korea’s largest carmaker said visitors can learn more about its premium and environment-friendly cars, expecting the showrooms will play a pivotal role in boosting the sales of its strategic models.

“We decided to open two showrooms at Starfield Hanam to publicize our premium luxury sedans and electric vehicles,” a Hyundai Motor spokesman said. “The mall is adjacent to the affluent neighborhoods of southern Seoul. It will immediately become the country’s most-visited shopping place when it opens in early September. We will take advantage of that.”

Hyundai’s latest move is also seen as an attempt to counter the much-hyped Tesla Motors plan to set up its first dealership at Starfield Hanam as early as November.

Tesla is widely expected to launch sales of its famous electric models here as soon as it receives certification from the government. Last year, the U.S.-based automaker set up its local subsidiary, Tesla Korea.

It has two models, the Model S and the Model X, and will release the Model 3 in 2017.

“We haven’t reached an agreement with Tesla yet,” a Shinsegae Group official said. “But we are positive that both sides will soon come to terms. We believe that Tesla’s showroom at Starfield Hanam will help us attract more shoppers. The presence of Hyundai Motor and BMW is also a huge plus for our business.”

BMW will set up a showroom featuring its six signature models, including the i8, and the three Mini brand cars.

“The envisioned facility will be named ‘BMW Mini City Lounge,’ the first of its kind in Asia,” a BMW Korea spokesman said. “We operate only three such places in Europe. The location of Starfield Hanam is quite attractive, given its proximity to southern Seoul. We will do everything we can to make the City Lounge one of the most-visited sites at the shopping mall.”

Shinsegae has invested 1 trillion won ($900 million) to build the nation’s largest shopping complex on a 460,000-square-meter site in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province. Once completed, it will house 750 brands, ranging from fashion and cosmetics to food and electronics.

It also plans to build two more Starfield shopping complexes, in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheongna International City in Incheon.