Hyundai, China to boost cooperation

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo, right, shakes hands with Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, who visited the company’s headquarters in Yangjae, Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

By Park Jin-hai

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo met with Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, to discuss expanding their partnership, the company said Friday.

Zhang and some 40 other Chinese government officials visited Hyundai Motor headquarters in Yangjae and exchanged opinions on Hyundai Motor’s business in China.

“Hyundai Motor Group, together with our automotive parts affiliates, has grown into the third-largest carmaker in China. As the company representative of Korea-China economic cooperation, Hyundai has been contributing to the development of both countries’ economy and auto industry,” Chairman Chung said.

“With the new plants we are building in China and development of next generation environmentally friendly cars, we expect to actively support the Chinese government policies as well as helping to revitalize both economies,” he added.

In response, Zhang said Hyundai’s presence in China is huge, saying, “It seems like almost all taxies running on Beijing streets are Hyundai cars. Hyundai cars are big success in China.

China’s top legislator expressed his keen interest in Hyundai’s development process and technology in green cars, according to the company.

The entourage got a look at the company’s environmentally friendly vehicles, including the K7 Hybrid and electric vehicle Soul, exhibited at the headquarters, and was briefed on the Tucson’s fuel cell technology.

They also looked at the new Tucson, locally named the ix35, to be launched in China in the latter half of this year.

Hyundai Motor Group has seven plants in Beijing, Yangcheng and Sichuan, with a total annual production capacity of 1.95 million cars. Hyundai’s 409 parts making affiliates are also growing in China, with the close partnership with Hyundai.

Meanwhile, the company aims to expand its production capacity to 2.7 million by 2018, with the Changzhou and Chongqing plants it has been building in China.